Facing The Shadows - The Loss Of The Light
by Jane Heartilly
Summary: Legolas is the victim of a new dark force, draining him day by day. Can Aragorn and the others help the elf while they make their way to their new enemy before it is too late? Read and find out. A/L Slash. Rewriting and adding upon the old story, so again 'in progress'. *update* Chapter 5 up!
1. Prologue (rewrite)

_A/N Hello everyone, for those new to the story, welcome and I hope you will enjoy it. Please review the chapters, despite that is has been a while, I would love to know your opinion. _

_For those already familiar with my story, I am sorry for the blocks of texts that were occupying the later chapters. It has been 10+ years since I uploaded this story and it has always been special to me, yet I did not find the courage and inspiration to rewrite it until now. I am hoping to improve it with this update. Hope you will enjoy it and also, please review._

_Oh and nearly forgot: *DISCLAIMER* For this chapter and every chapter following I wish to express my sincere sadness in __not owning__ Legolas, Aragorn or any other of the characters invented by Tolkien, not to mention the entire universe he created. All his, not mine, just so you know ;) (Honestly, are these still obligatory?)_

_Now onto the story, which takes place a few years after the War of the Ring. _

* * *

**- Prologue **

Legolas fluttered his eyes as daylight broke; he had been sleeping outside that night. The sun gently caressed his face as it slowly rose into the sky. For some reason he had not managed to find rest, even now that the war was over. Something troubled him. He felt that something was wrong, and yet he did not know what or how that could be. Everything in Middle Earth seemed to be at peace, serene and there was hardly anything to worry about these days, yet some feeling of dread lingered around him.

Legolas leaped out of the tree he had made his bed for the night, landing lightly on the soft lush grass. He lifted his eyes to the warm sunshine and tried to shrug off the feeling of dread that had been troubling his thoughts and dreams. He sighed, yet another day among his people, of the few that had survived the darkness that had washed over the lands some years ago.

He missed the fellowship, his true friends and family. Aragorn had been crowned king of Gondor shortly after the war, he remembered the day very well. The smile on the man's face as Legolas stepped aside to present the lady Arwen to him was both a warming memory as it was a sad one. He knew everything would be different from that moment on, his closest friend would grow to be a fine king, occupied by the matters of his people, his land and his wife. It had been a painful moment when Legolas had left to return to Mirkwood with his people.

Two years after the crowning Aragorn had come to visit Mirkwood, it had been a joyous day for Legolas to see his friend again. They had sorely missed each other and for the duration that Aragorn had been in Mirkwood, they were on hunting adventures almost every minute. Both needed a break from their royal positions among their people, just to be back in the wilds, back to their true selves.

On the second day of his visit, Aragorn received a summon from Lord Elrond in Rivendell. It said it was urgent, but without any other explanation as to why. Aragorn left immediately and despite his father's opposition Legolas went with him.

Once they had arrived in Rivendell a great darkness befell their world, Lord Elrond had grave news for Aragorn. Barely keeping the tears at bay, the elf told Aragorn that Arwen had fallen gravely ill in his absence. It had taken Aragorn many weeks to travel towards his friend and as untrackable as the ranger had been, no news could have reached him. Arwen, on the order of her father, had been moved towards Rivendell straight away. But her illness was beyond her father's hands, she was a mortal elf now and nothing could keep her sickness at bay.

Aragorn and Legolas had arrived to Rivendell only to witness her last moments upon Middle Earth. Aragorn was besides himself, knelt at her bedside he held his tears only long enough to send her off with a warm smile and all the love he carried for her. She had seemed to at peace with what was happening to her, she had made her choice long ago and had accepted the consequences of it.

Legolas had kept his respectful distance as he watched both her husband and father in great pain. It hurt him to see, but he knew he should let them have their last moments together in peace. He guarded the door, listening to the whispers and labored breathing of the dying elf. It wasn't until he heard a wail and uncontrollable sobs from Aragorn that he knew it was over, the Lady Arwen had left them that dark day.

The King of Gondor could not bear to return to Minas Tirith without his queen. His world had emptied, it made no sense without her by his side. He had send a messenger to Gondor, informing Faramir, his steward with the grave news. He had also left instructions for his loyal friend to remain in charge for a while longer, for he would not know when he would return and retake his position as King. The lands were safe, save for the occasional roaming orc raids and Faramir was more than capable of handling those matters.

Legolas had send word to his father as well, informing him he would not return to Mirkwood for as long as his best friend needed him. He could not possible leave him now. He remained with his friend for many months in Rivendell until his soul was healed enough for him to return to Gondor and continue with his life.

The bond that had grown between the man and the elf over the many years that they had been friends was strengthened only more in this time. Legolas became the person Aragorn depended on the most. The once proud composed king had fallen and broken to pieces. Legolas remained by his side continuously, was a shoulder to the man when he needed to weep and a silent ear to him when he needed to vent. He had been everything Aragorn needed in that time and Legolas had been grateful that he was to be that person for Aragorn.

Now that Aragorn had returned to Gondor after regaining most of his former self, Legolas felt lonely without him. He longed for his friends, for the fellowship in its entirety. The four hobbits had returned to the Shire, living their lives as they had before the war. He had heard in a letter from them, that Sam finally mustered the courage to profess his love for the woman he had loved for years and that later that year he had married her. Otherwise they mentioned the Shire not having changed at all, the hobbits in the Shire had continued their lives as they always had, before, during and after the war. Everything that had happened had bypassed them. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin often felt it was surreal, they had gone through great adventures and no one at home believed them to be real. Except the children of course, like old Bilbo's stories, they couldn't get enough of it. It was both a blessing as it was a loneliness he remembered Frodo writing.

Gimli had returned to his kin after the war, he had heard from his close friend that he had begun a new quest with this kinsman. They were to find the remaining members of his kin, still wandering the lands and travel south to establish a new home for themselves in Aglarond. Last he heard they were still searching and making preparations for their journey. Legolas had offered his help, but Gimli had turned him down. He had told the elf that he was his dear friend, but that many of his kinsman did not share his newfound love of his elvish friends. It was better to steer clear still, perhaps one day he would convince his kinsmen that a new alliance between elves and dwarves would not be the worst thing.

Gandalf the White had returned to his wandering ways. Roaming Middle Earth from one corner to the other sharing wisdom and aiding folk of all kind to recover from the war of the ring. Many folk had fallen, not only to the evil armies from Mordor, but also other threats that had grown bold during the war. Often the white wizard had returned to Minas Tirith and the nearby Ithilien, where Faramir now lived with Eowyn. Though Lord and Steward now, the man still desired to know more from the wizard and Gandalf was happy to teach.

Again Legolas sighed, he was prince, yes, but hated it. He wished to go out, away from Mirkwood for a while, start another quest with the fellowship, even if there was no reason to. Just to be away from the utter boredom that seemed to be his life now. Whoever would have imagined, during the quest and war against Sauron, many would have wanted nothing else but peace and quiet. He being one of them, wishing for it every night. And now, after their wish had been granted, life just seemed dull. Of course he was thankful it was all over, of course he would not wish more harm upon Middle Earth, but life as it was, was not very exciting. Perhaps the feeling would fade overtime and he would feel the same as he did before the great war.

Yet the thought of going on another quest with his friends was intriguing. Just to be around all of them again, without the threat of Mordor weighing down on them as it had before. It certainly was inviting, but it not likely to happen, nor would another threat to Middle Earth be welcome to its inhabitants. The world was just beginning to rebuild from all the war had destroyed.

Besides, the others were happy where they were now, they probably did not even have the same desires as he did. They had everything they wanted and were happy with their lives. Even Aragorn managed to move on from his grief and slowly rebuild himself to be the man he used to be, a king. Legolas felt a sense of loneliness creep over him as he turned his eyes to the sky that was slowly growing brighter.

"If only..." he whispered to himself. Legolas' expression turned sad as his thoughts trailed off. The fellowship wasn't the only thing he missed, there was more to it than the eye could see. Residing in Mirkwood reminded him only of her, of a happier time.

"Lea..."

* * *

Somewhere far from Mirkwood, a black hooded figure wandered though the edge Fangorn woods. It was seemingly wandering around without a purpose, to a bystander it would seem as if the person was lost. Whether it was a man, elf or orc one could not tell, the black robes covered the entire body and the hood was large enough not to show anything of its face.

The figure wandered to the edge of the forest, coming out of hiding and suddenly let out a desperate cry to the sky.

"Saruman! Tell me what to do! I am lost without thy council!" "Saruman! All thy have taught me, I do not know what to do Saruman!"

As if the sky itself was responding to the figure, the clouds gathered above the forest and the wind raised its force. Within only a few moments the trees were swaying, fighting against the strength of its assaulter. The figure stood strong, not moving an inch.

Suddenly lightning cracked from the dark clouds, only a few meters from the once unfaltering figure. A yelp could be heard as the person in black was thrown backwards from an invisible force. Smoke raised from where lightning had struck and slowly moved closer to the now barely conscious figure. The smoke seemed to take a more solid form, a man-shaped form clad in white smoke.

Although not recognizable in its form, a familiar voice rang from the smoke.

"You know what to do...my loyal apprentice. I have taught you all I know - you have all the tools to accomplish the task I left you with. Take revenge...you know what to do...this entire realm could be yours, but only if..."

The dark voice echoed around the hooded figure laying on the floor. Barely able to move the hooded figure gave small signs of recognition to the voice. Parting lips, it spoke

" Saruman, if you say I am ready, I am...but will you stay by my side?"

"I will always. I will give you strength and if you succeed in what you must do, I will come back by your hand. I am linked to you, my soul will not continue on, until your task is either complete or you fail and join me. You MUST succeed"

The voice of Saruman died out and the hooded person in black regained their senses.

"Yes..." the person hissed as two glowing red eyes could be seen from under the dark hood.

* * *

_A/N I decided to split this chapter into a prologue and the first chapter after rewriting and adding numerous lines to it, thus this one is a bit on the short end. But hey, it's only the prologue ;) Hope you are enjoying it so far, let me know if you do by leaving me a quick review!_


	2. On to the Shire (rewrite)

_A/N Chapter 1 rewrite :)_

* * *

**1. On to the Shire**

"Oh, you can search far and wide  
You can drink the whole town dry  
But you'll never find a beer so brown  
As the one we drink in our hometown"

Back in the Shire, once again upon the wooden tables of the Green Dragon, two well known hobbits were dancing their hearts out. Both carrying two big mugs that seemed to spill most of their drinks during the dancing act.

"You can drink your fancy ales  
You can drink 'em by the flagon  
But the only brew for the brave and true  
Comes from the Green Dragon"

They clunked their mugs together, and leaned back their heads drinking whatever was left of the brew inside them while the room clapped and laughed.

Most of the other hobbits around seemed entertained by the two young hobbits and roared their approval. Frodo and Sam sat at the table clapping their hands for Merry and Pippin, laughing heartily. Once done, Merry and Pippin sat back down at the table and all the commotion in the bar slowly settled down.

"And that is how we did it in Edoras, among many tall men and women!" Pippin explained loudly to his best friends.

Sam laughed, entertained by the hobbit's enthusiasm, trying to imagine what it would have been like. "Everyone was in such a great mood, because we had just retaken Isengard with Treebeard and the Ents" Merry added on to the story.

The barkeep moved over to the hobbit's table and dropped two new mugs down for Merry and Pippin. "Try not to spill these all over the place" he said with a smile.

"And you may want to keep down the crazytalk, I don't know what you lads were up to when you left 6 years ago, but no need to invent over-exaggerated stories! Save them for the little children, they'll eat up every word of that nonsense, just like old Bilbo's fairytales."

As he walked away the mood at the table dampened. No one believed their stories, they came home heroes and to everyone in the Shire they were the same people that left a year before. Sometimes it was nice, to just pretend that it all didn't happen. To just fall back into the community and home they always knew and loved. It was a great comfort knowing their home was right there waiting for them, unaffected by what went on in the rest of the world.

But on other times it was a loneliness, what happened to all of them during the War of the Ring, it was a big life-changing event. It changed them, especially Frodo and sometimes they came to the awful realization that they were not the same and somehow they did not fit back into the lives they left behind. They were not unaffected, unaltered by that year, they carried weights with them now that nobody understood. Of course they had each other, but sometimes it just wasn't enough.

Sam had Rosie, she believed him, every word of every tale he told her. She trusted his words, like she trusted him with everything. But even then, she believed it, but did not understand it. Sometimes it didn't feel any different to Sam when he told Rosie or when he told a small child. She would just sit quiet and listen, excited, but without any feedback or understanding.

The four hobbits shared a look of understanding sadness and decided to call it a night. It wasn't the first time it happened. As they took their first steps out the door of the Green Dragon, Frodo came up with an idea to cheer them all up.

"Why don't you all stay over in Bag End tonight, we can reminisce"

Merry and Pippin, unattached and eager for something interesting to do took only seconds to accept the invitation. Sam obviously wanted to accept the invitation straight away as well, but being the loyal responsible hobbit as he was, he had to inform Rosy before he could join them.

He held up his finger as to indicate to his friends to wait as he turned around and went back through the door. A few minutes later he returned to his friends, waiting impatiently on the road outside the bar. "All clear!"

* * *

Legolas wandered through Mirkwood in thought, the shadow that rested on his soul would not let him be. He was searching for a clue, any reason to believe his weariness was not just a mere feeling. None of his kinsmen had mentioned anything to be amiss, none of them had felt what he was feeling.

Legolas continued walking through the woods, his hands lingering on the trunks of the trees as he passed them, hoping perhaps they would tell him something. But it was to no avail, nothing would give him clarity on his feelings and no omen fell from the sky.

After a few hours of searching in vain, Legolas decided the answer must be laying outside Mirkwood. The feeling was but a dull ache in the back of his mind, gnawing at him. He had to find out what it was, he could not just shove aside the feeling and pretend nothing was wrong. If something were to happen to Middle Earth and he could have prevented it, or at least known of it earlier to make a difference... No, he had to give his elvish senses the importance they deserved, he had to go.

King Thranduil looked upon his youngest son, surprised by his request, yet understanding. He knew his youngest was different, he had always been different. His wife long ago had made several comments upon it, as if she had been able to see the future. She was carrying her third son at the time and had continually told Thranduil that this one would be special, he'd be better at things as his brothers, he'd be a good soul.

He remembered her vividly, she was beautiful, long golden locks covered her head to her lower back. She was enthralling and as beautiful as she was to behold, her kindness was what captivated anyone who met her. She was, in the king's eyes, more beautiful as her best friend, the Lady Galadriel.

She had been right, but to Thranduil's grief she never got to experience it herself. Upon his last son's birth her body just faded away. Before anyone could come to her aid, she had already passed on. He had not understood and his grief stayed with him for many years. It had tainted his relationship with Legolas, whenever he looked upon his son with his fair features, he was reminded of her. He was both proud and pained by it, pride not settling in until it was many seasons after her passing.

"I need to leave Mirkwood father, I need to find the reason of my unrest. I know something is happening beyond our borders. I wish to consult the fellowship, to ask for their experiences and wisdom."

The king nodded, Legolas had always been a sensitive elf and he trusted the young ones instincts. He knew though, that there was much more to his son as he let on.

"If you feel this would set your mind at ease, my son, I trust you know what you are doing. But that is not the only reason for you to depart, correct?"

Legolas cast his eyes to the ground and took a moment to gather his thoughts. There were so many things going on inside him it was hard to straighten them out.

"Indeed father. Despite that I am prince and love my kinsmen, my brothers and yourself. A bond has been forged between the members of the fellowship, they are my true friends and I miss them. Besides, Mirkwood only reminds me of..." he fell silent.

"My son, it has been over 60 years. I know your pain is deep, but can you not forget? She would not have wanted you to feel like this for so long, she would have wanted you to move on. When your mother passed away it took me long to recover from it as well, but..."

"I cannot just forget father! I don't even remember how it happened exactly, all I know is that I failed her. I've fought many battles, protected the ring bearer and my friends against impossible odds. But her, I could not protect her. I cannot forget!" Legolas' eyes burned with guilt and pain.

He took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Be that as it may, it is not the reason for my departure. I feel the world has need of me elsewhere, I feel it is my responsibility to find out what it is that I can sense. I feel it growing darker, like an unseen shadow in the back of my mind. I need to unveil it, before it can become something more harmful to Middle Earth."

Thranduil nodded to his son, feeling he had done his son wrong. He knew all too well what it was like when others wanted you to move on from something you were not yet done grieving for. It had been too soon for Legolas.

"I shall send my fastest couriers to retrieve the other members of your company for you. What would you wish me to tell them?"

"Tell them..." Legolas pondered for a moment, he had no real evidence anything was yet wrong. "Tell Mithrandir, Estel and Gimli of my suspicions and to meet me in Imladris as soon as they can. I shall ride towards the Shire and see how our hobbits fare and escort them there myself, I bet they are eager to see Bilbo again." The prince smiled.

"Very well my son, I bid you to take good care of yourself. May you find your way beyond our borders and may hope and happiness find you on your journey. When your quest is over, your brothers and I will welcome you back home." It was both a command as it was a kind farewell from the king. Being the youngest, Legolas was no heir to the throne of Mirkwood, but his father wanted him back home none the less.

Legolas bowed before his father, thanked him and retreated to leave the room. The prince went to pack for his journey, taking the usual necessities and readying his bow, quiver and daggers. Some servants came by offering him a few loafs of Lembas bread for him to take, wishing him well. He took whatever they offered him and thanked them all personally for their help. He knew all of his kinsmen by name and often stopped to talk to them, he was always well informed of what was going on in the kingdom.

It didn't take Legolas long to prepare himself fully and he departed before the sun was at its highest that day. On to the Shire.

It had been a few days of travelling for Legolas. He had taken his own steeds from the stables back home at Mirkwood, one with remarkable speed. It was not a warhorse, light and swift it was meant to travel distances fast. He had made a swift stop at Rivendell, informing the Lord Elrond of what was happening. Naturally the elven elder had no opposition to the plans of the Mirkwood prince.

His steed carried him as far as Bree, where he decided to continue on foot. The Shire was only a little further on and his horse had grown tired. Legolas knew she would find her way home in time.

Legolas dismounted his beautiful white horse. "Hannon le, Rochiril" he whispered to her as he embraced the horse's head and rubbed her gently over her neck. "Find a safe road home, we will meet again". The horse whinnied and rubbed its head against the elf's slender but strong body to bid him a farewell. Rochiril turned around and galloped back down the road they had come from.

Legolas trailed her until she was but a dot in the distance, silently sending out his blessings so she would find her way home safely. It was nearing the end of the day and the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon. Legolas stared over the meadows when his elvish eyes could no longer see Rochiril and realized the beauty of his surroundings. Lush grass spreading out miles around him and the evening sky painted in the most beautiful shades of pink and purple.

The town of Bree was a bit down the road, but Legolas decided he did not want to venture there tonight. Despite his long journey he was not yet weary and eager to see his friends. Besides, the nature was beautiful to him and he would not want to blind his eyes to it tonight. He was an elf after all, tiredness and the cold of the night's wind did not affect him like it would many others. He would reach the Shire come morning if he kept his pace up.

Just before he meant to turn around, he noticed a bright light coming from the nearby woods north of Bree. His hands at the ready to grab his bow and notch an arrow he watched as the light seemed to come closer towards him. He kept his eye on the light and it became brighter and soon realized it was of no threat.

"Ceriella" Legolas called her name as he moved swiftly to her side at the small forests edge. "What are you doing here? It is not safe for unicorns here" he told the mystical creature.

"Prince Greenleaf, it pleases me to see you again" she spoke to the prince in elvish, her voice as if she was practically singing. "Unfortunately, my visit to you is one burdened with grave news. I have come to warn you dear prince."

Legolas feared his feelings of a dark shadow hovering above Middle Earth were now realized. He had waited for something to either acknowledge his feelings to be correct, but most of all he had hoped it was but a mere feeling. It couldn't have been anything small if Ceriella dared to show herself in the open like this.

"You have felt it too, did you not?" The unicorn noticed his troubled features and the elf nodded. "A new dark force is after this realm Legolas. It was taught under Saruman for many years, his pupil. He had kept it hidden well, but now that Saruman is gone, his pupil is after revenge, perhaps even to help return the wizard back to Middle Earth. I fear it may first come after you and the fellowship, you all are in grave danger, especially you Prince Greenleaf."

"I know Ceriella, I feel it all around me. Where should I go to find this force? What am I to do?" he asked the wise mystical creature. "Head south Legolas, towards Orthanc in Isengard. I think it will be there, as it was created by the evil wizard."

Legolas nodded, realization setting in that a new quest had indeed begun. He now had the acknowledgement he was searching for and the information on where to head to absolve Middle Earth of this new threat. His friend could no longer stay here, out in the open. Her existence was not widely known and she would be in too much danger if it was. "Please go back quickly Ceriella, you are nearly the last unicorn, please keep yourself safe," The elf kissed the animal on her forehead, then urged her to leave.

"Remember I will always be here when you need me, you don't have to bother to call upon me," she whispered before going. Legolas merely nodded in response, "My dear Ceriella, I would never do anything to start the extinction of unicorns, so I will not call upon you. Not even when there would seem no way out of the darkness, I will not call upon you."

As Ceriella disappeared, with new resolve Legolas made his way to the Shire. They had a new purpose, he had to reunite the fellowship before any of them would come to harm. Before anyone in Middle Earth would come to harm from this dark wizard's pupil.

* * *

Legolas entered the Shire and was amused by the little children around him. They all stayed near him and whispered to each other that he was an elf. Soon hordes of children had flocked around the tall elf "Lookie, a real elf in the Shire." "He's pretty," a little girl noticed. Some older teenage girls gasped as the prince walked by, "He's...so handsome." they whispered to each other between endless giggles.

"Whatcha name?" a little girl asked, pulling his hand. "Legolas." the prince answered briefly as he kneeled to the girl. "And yours?" "Mirennia" the girl giggled.

Now that the prince had interacted with one of the little children, they all were no longer ashamed to bombard the elf with various questions."I heard elves are really old, are you old?" "You have the longest hair I've ever seen, do you ever cut it?" "Are all elves as tall as you?"

"You the prince of elves?" a little boy gently pushed Mirennia aside to get Legolas' attention. Legolas nodded. "Prince of Mirkwood," he added. All the young boys and girls around him gasped. "A handsome elf prince!" the teen girl on the side gasped out loud. It made Legolas blush slightly, as he stood up. "I'm sorry boys and girls, but I have to proceed." he excused himself and went on to Hobbiton.

He opened the gate at the front of the house and smiled. "Finally, Frodo's house," he sighed, a little tired. The prince had not felt himself since he had noticed the dark force and now felt it grow, darkness flooding his senses. He knocked at the door, waiting for an answer.

"Who is it?!" a loud voice called from the other side of the door. Legolas remembered the voice, it was Pippin. "Are they all here?" he wondered. He decided not to answer as not to spoil the surprise and waited for the door to be opened. "WHO IS IT?" the young hobbit yelled from inside, clearly not wanting to go through the effort of opening the door if it was anyone unimportant.

Legolas heard a soft curse being muttered and laughed silently, he would soon find out it would be worth it. The big round door of Bag End slowly opened and revealed the small form of a curly haired hobbit. Pippin stood in the doorway, completely surprised and in disbelief of what his eyes were seeing in front of him. He just stood there, his left hand on the door, staring up at Legolas' face, his voice seemingly had abandoned him

"Good to see you my dear friend" Legolas spoke, hoping it would break the catatonic state the hobbit was currently in.

"Who is it Pip?"

"PIP!"

Legolas heard two more hobbit feet come towards them from the other side of the door, knowing from the voice it was Merry checking up on his best friend. Legolas saw a hand move towards Pippin that shoved him against the shoulder

"What in the world is u..." Meriadoc's head peaked around the side of the door to see what it was that held Pippin in such a state. Pippin had seemingly awakened from the shove and a smile now grew widely on his face.

"LEGOLAS!"

Merry covered his right ear at the amazingly loud sound and was about to reprimand his friend, had he not run off into the embrace of the elf. He soon followed his example, too happy to care about the slight ringing in his ears.

"Did you say Le..." Sam and Frodo came walking from inside Bag End and soon also locked their eyes on the tall elf in front of the house with the two hobbits clung to him. Merry and Pippin turned around towards their friends "It's Legolas! He's come to visit us after all these years, he's come to see the Shire!" Pippin exclaimed happily.

"Actually Pip, I'm..."

Sam stood grinning widely and Frodo stood in the door opening amazed, "Le...Legolas?" he stuttered, interrupting the prince.

Legolas turned his gaze to the brown haired hobbit and smiled warmly at him "Frodo, it has been too long." "We missed you!" Frodo ran into Legolas' embrace. "I've missed you all too." the prince replied.

"Come in, come in, dear friend," Frodo invited Legolas in. The elf needed to bend down though, as he was a little overgrown to a Hobbit's house. Legolas seated himself in Frodo's kitchen. "Tea?" Frodo asked, but before Legolas could answer, he was already making it.

In the mean time Pippin was launching words at the elf at the speed of light, trying to tell 10 tales at once. "Pippin, shush!" Merry told his friend firmly, "I'm sure Legolas has been wanting to tell us the reason of his visit". Pippin immediately quieted down and with eager eyes awaited the explanation from his tall friend.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news..." Legolas told the four Hobbits.

And so Legolas started his tale, and although the hobbits were a little afraid of this new force, they were enthusiastic about seeing the others again and the adventure. The rest of the day the four Hobbits enjoyed the elf prince's company by showing him around the Shire, and Pippin and Merry kept joking around. How Legolas had missed their joking...

Legolas had agreed on staying one more night before leaving for Rivendell and so evening fell.

"I am afraid I can't offer you a bed Legolas, they are far too small for a tall elf like you," Frodo had told the elf prince. Legolas had thanked Frodo, but told him it was just fine. "The Shire is a beautiful and peaceful place to be, I'll have no regrets seeing some more of it during the night". And so the prince had once more decided to sleep in the nearest tree.

* * *

_"Legolas! Help me! Legolas!" an elvish maiden cried out in despair. He heard her fighting back, but it was to no avail. "No...don't... Legolas! Legolas help me! Legola..." from one moment to the next she had fallen silent, her pleas for him were no more. Evil laughing replaced the cries._

_"No! Lea! No!" He struggled as hard as he could against the handful of orcs holding him. He tried with all his might to get to where he heard her last, so see what had happened, but it was all in vain. The orcs had a strong grip on his arms and shoulders, no matter what he tried, they had overpowered him completely. _

_"Lea!" He cried her name again, hoping to get any sort of reply from the maiden, but there was nothing. From behind the brush a tall orc came walking towards the clearing they held him captive, dragging behind him a slender body by a silk white arm, dropping it as soon as he noticed the message had reached his other captive._

_"No..." His eyes must be deceiving him, this could not be.. "NOO!" the elf was in great rage, but it did not help him release the tight grip the orcs had on his slender body._

_The leader orc walked over to the elf, cut and bruised on his bare shoulders, his tunic hanging on him in shreds. He had slain a few of the pack before they had captured him and had taken quite a beating. _

_"Well well, my elven prince. Prince Greenleaf is it not?" an ugly smirk came across his face. "Have we convinced you to join Sauron's forces?". "Never!" The elf spat back in its hideous face. Legolas tried to reach his daggers after he managed to slip one of his arms from the orcs their grasp. _

_"Such a shame, then you will pay with your life for declining our master!" The orc took his large blade and shoved it straight through the elf's side. The archer went limp in the arms of the orcs, blood seeping down his tunic to the ground. At the command of their leader they let go of the elf and he fell to the forest floor, groaning in pain. _

_The leader walked back to where he had let go of Lea's body and gave the last brutal command Legolas had heard "Finish it." The remaining orcs started kicking the fallen prince hard, stabbing and cutting him in various places. Pain blurred all his senses and before long darkness had claimed the elf._

* * *

With a loud 'Thud' Legolas fell from the tree he was in and was awakened. He grasped his chest as he felt a sharp pain go through it. "What the..." he grumbled in pain as he grabbed his chest, trying to somehow numb the sharp pain inside it.

Slowly but surely the pain eased down and his thoughts returned to the dream he had just experienced. Though it was no dream...but a memory, a memory he had believed had been lost to him since the accident. "Even outside Mirkwood..." Legolas sighed and looked into the starlit sky. "Lea." his voice was barely above a whisper.

* * *

_A/N Well that was my first rewrite, which essentially just increased the size of this chapter from 3 to 13 pages! Hope you enjoyed it so far, expect an updated chap 2 to come soon. Review please :)_


	3. Reunited (rewrite)

_A/N Second Chapter rewrite :)_

* * *

**2. Reunited **

It was a few hours before dawn when Legolas had his unwelcome encounter with his memories. For years he had tried to remember exactly what had happened, for years he had ached to know the truth. But it had never come to him, no matter how he had racked his brain with the possibilities of what could have, hoping something would lead to the truth.

Clutching his chest still, the elf slowly regained his composure. It was quite something for an elf to experience, to fall from a tree like that. It didn't bother him so much though, his entire mind was focused on the memory he had just gained.

He played it all through in his head again, the dream had been so incredibly real. Legolas wondered what could've caused him to suddenly remember this now, He had always thought of her, remembered the love they had together. She had been a beautiful warm elven maiden, they had been together for near a century and the prince had intended to wed her until she had been taken away.

After the torture the orcs had put Legolas through, they had left him to die in the woods. The prince's last thoughts were of his love, guilt, pain and mourning. Lea and he had wandered many a mile from home, unafraid of the dangers of Mirkwood. They had been so careless in their thoughts and now they had both paid dearly for it.

It wasn't until a day later that the elven scouts of Mirkwood found the prince on the verge of death. His broken body was carried back to Thranduil's palace where their best healers worked on the prince for endless hours.

Thranduil had been beside himself in worry and anger over his son. He had send out various parties with tasks as soon as he had laid his eyes on his youngest and saw the horrible condition he was in. A large number of warriors had been sent out to hunt down the orcs that brought this evil upon the prince, of which many volunteered to go. His fastest rider was sent to Imladris to retrieve the Lord Elrond immediately. It wasn't that he didn't trust Mirkwood's own talented healers, but Lord Elrond was far beyond them in his wisdom and expertise. It was his son and this was something their own healers had never faced, he wanted the best and he wanted it right then and there.

A few elven scouts were sent out to find Lea, her parents besides themselves with grief. They had seen the injuries that had befallen their prince and were shocked. When they questioned the elves that had returned him about their daughter, they soon learned they had found no trace of her. Her mother had fallen to tears, to stricken to do anything but cry and her father had demanded of Thranduil to send out scouts to find her. Thranduil spared no expense to find out what happened to dear Lea as he was quite fond of her himself.

They searched for a few months, their best trackers following traces no one else could even find, but in the end it had been to no avail. They all came back empty handed, there was no trace of Lea anywhere and the orcs causing the assault had seemed to vanish in thin air. The rider had brought back the Lord Elrond and with him young Aragorn to learn more of the elven healing skills. Aragorn had since a few years learned of his true name and had taken it up as his own, but to all the elves he was still known as Estel. He had left Rivendell and had gone on his own adventures all around Middle Earth, but was always eager to learn more about the elven healing skills. When he got word from Lord Elrond that his aid was needed in Mirkwood, for a dark evil had befallen their prince, Aragorn went immediately.

It had been the very first time Aragorn had met Legolas, though the circumstances were not kind and the elf had looked nothing like what he did today. It had hurt the man deeply when he laid his eyes upon the prince, he had never seen a fair elf like himself in such agony. It seemed not to make sense at all to him, such a fair being in such a broken body. Together with Lord Elrond they did what they could for the prince and after many weeks it started to pay off.

Slowly but surely the prince began to mend and once he was over the threshold it almost seemed to come naturally. The healing ability of the elves was amazing, but it was thanks to Lord Elrond and Aragorn that he managed to find his way from darkness. Thanks to them, his own natural abilities managed to kick in and a few months later the prince was able to walk about again.

When they worst had been over Lord Elrond had returned to Rivendell and left Aragorn in charge with looking after the prince. He didn't need to do much, but overtime the man and elf became good friends. Legolas' features became fairer by the day and with much practice his skills soon returned to what they were before as well.

Autumn and winter had passed before the prince was fully healed. It had gone remarkably fast, his body was now the same as it had been before the assault. But his soul had forever been changed. From all that happened to him, he could not remember anything. Last he remembered was leaving the palace with Lea and next he knew was Aragorn's rough features hovering over him as he was tending to his wounds.

It had grieved the Prince ever since then, he had been told Lea was nowhere to be found and that orcs must've taken her body away. They did find both the prince and Lea's blood, next to a number of lifeless orcs near where he was found, so it was presumed Lea was dead. Her parents had been grieving for a long time and had thrown accusations the prince's way. They claimed it was his fault for leading her so far from the safe palace. It only made his guilt grow, prince Legolas Greenleaf was never the same person he was before.

Legolas relaxed his arm, releasing he had been clutching his chest tight the entire time. The pain had subsided and seemed to have left his body completely, the thoughts however, haunted him again. It was like he was right back there 67 years ago.

He shook his head, trying to clear them from his mind and raised himself to his feet. "There's more important things to worry about then the past" he mumbled to himself. He could not let himself be so distracted by things he had no power over, things he could not change anymore even if he wanted to. Legolas decided it was time to go towards Rivendell, the new quest would divert his attention back to where it was needed, just like it had done before.

* * *

"Come on young hobbits, awaken" Legolas had entered Bag's End and was awakening three of the hobbits.

They had all agreed to go with Legolas, what he told them was obviously a threat to Middle Earth and at the very least to Legolas himself. It didn't quite make sense to them that he was the only one able to recognize the threat besides his friend the unicorn. Which some of them didn't quite belief existed, had it not been their trustworthy friend himself telling them they did.

Sam had spend most of the evening trying to convince Rosy his departure was of great importance. She had kept arguing that 7 were plenty to absolve Middle Earth of whatever it was "this time", but in the end Sam had put his foot down. He had reminded her that those 7 were his friends, his family and that he had as much responsibility to the fellowship as any other of them. Besides, he couldn't leave his Frodo to go on this quest without him, it was his responsibility to keep him safe. In the end she had caved and had at least demanded him to stay with her for the night.

"What? This early? It's still dark outside!" Pippin protested, turning around and pulling his blanket back over himself. Legolas merely pulled the blanket back and explained calmly that it was of great important they would reach Rivendell as soon as possible.

"The others are by now already informed of our meeting in Imladris. They are probably already on their way there, it would not do well for us to be late. I have many things with Lord Elrond to discuss still and I wish to do so before the arrival of our friends".

It was but mere minutes before Frodo had made himself ready, his pack at the ready and dressed in his travel clothes. He had done it swift and silently, whereas Merry and Pippin were slow and loud. At the last moment they tried to stuff as much food from Bag End's pantry in their packs as possible, arguing about what to take and who would carry it.

Legolas just stood outside, staring at the night sky, dawn would be upon them soon enough. Frodo exited the house, smiling at the two younger hobbits in his house. Closing the door behind him he addressed Legolas.

"You seem very far away my friend, did something happen tonight to invoke this new urgency?"

"It is nothing my young friend" Legolas started, "I feel the threat growing in my mind, like a shadow trying to overcome me from inside out. It's unsettling and it even hurts…" he murmured the end of his sentence, not quite sure how to describe it.

"Hurts? What do you mean?" Frodo saw the elf absently trail his hand over his chest.

Finally snapping out of his thoughts he turned his head to the small figure next to him, whose eyes were filled with concern. He smiled warmly at him, "Pay it no heed Frodo, for it is nothing. This is a feeling unknown to me, I am just worried about what this new force may be. That is why it is of great importance we get to speak the others as soon as possible."

Frodo nodded, still not quite at ease about what his friend has just told him. "I'll go retrieve Sam, will you make sure they don't break my house down?" the hobbit grinned and gestured behind him.

Legolas laughed "I'll do my best."

Shortly after the hobbits and the elf were on their way to Rivendell. It had taken a fair amount of time tearing Rosy from Sam and Merry and Pippin from the pantry as well.

Legolas had waited patiently for them all to be ready to go. Unlike the hobbits he was very aware of this dark force now hovering over Middle Earth. Therefore he did not want to take them from their homes and family before they were ready, who knew what would await them this time. He was glad it wasn't the task of the hobbits this time, to brave danger by themselves as they had last time. They were still just so little in his eyes, brave and with heart, but still inexperienced and young.

As they travelled over the East Road, Legolas' thoughts returned to Lea, he couldn't help it. As he stared off in the distance the voices of the hobbits behind him turned to but murmurs far away. He remembered her fair features, her fair voice and how she had smiled to him so often. It had warmed his heart and soul in those times. He could see her face in front of him, like she was standing right there for him to touch. From one moment to the next her face turned to a dark red smeared mess, her beautiful golden locks turned brown from dirt and mud. The smile on her lips disappeared and made room for endless screams.

Legolas closed his eyes and shook his head, instantly he felt the huge weight of guilt back upon his shoulders. His heart ached for her, for what he had not done for her. He was her prince, her protector and he had failed her.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he squinted his eyes together trying to once more banish the thoughts from his mind.

"Are you alright my friend?" Frodo asked, having wandered away from the squabbling hobbits in the back. They had invoked a new discussion about various foods and even the calm Sam had been drawn into it.

Legolas let his hand drop back down his side "I am fine, I was merely remembering some things I am not so fond of." He didn't feel like he had to hide anything, but he was not about to elaborate to the small hobbit beside him.

"It has naught to do with our current quest and it is of no importance" he added.

Frodo nodded again, he figured it had to do with either the War 7 years ago or from tasks he had at home. Legolas had once told him he was prince, but not heir of Mirkwood. He had formal tasks to attend to, but was no fan of it. He had told him it was boring and he much more longed for adventure. Of course he had gotten more as he bargained for back then.

As they continued in their stride Frodo noticed the ruins to the north of them. It was the watchtower of Amon Sûl, build upon the Weather Hills. It hadn't been a pleasant night for the hobbits last time they visited it. Frodo absently rubbed the palm of his hand over the front of his left shoulder, it had not been a pleasant night at all.

Sam, among the endless culinary discussions had noticed his best friend's gaze and knew instantly where his thoughts had gone. Breaking away from the other two hobbits he walked up next to Frodo and put his hand on Frodo's shoulder. Their fingers touched and Frodo knew it was his faithful Sam, always there to support him. He turned his head to his left and saw Sam's warm smile telling him it was alright. Frodo bowed his head and smiled back in thanks, it was good to have a friend there for you at all times.

Frodo's thoughts flashed over all the times Sam had been there for him. Always really, even before the War of the Ring Sam had always been there. Of course their journey had been a tough one and they were now closer than ever. It warmed Frodo's heart to know he would always have Sam. The hobbit knew his thoughts sometimes before he did and it was a comforting thought.

"Everything will be alright mister Frodo" Sam merely said.

The five continued walking nearly non-stop, only stopping for a few hours here and there so the hobbits could regain their strength. Legolas was determined to reach Rivendell before nightfall of the fifth day of travelling and he succeeded.

The hobbits had often complained that despite the road being a more forgiving one, Legolas had been pushing them more as Aragorn back in the day. Unlike the Dúnadan and the hobbits, Legolas did not feel weariness very fast. He was quick and light on his feet and could run for ours across country without rest or sleep, not to mention a mere walk over the east road. Naturally he did mind the small hobbits and kept a keen eye on their features, knowing when they really needed a break. Nevertheless, he had pushed them to their limits far more as Aragorn had done.

No trouble had befallen the group on the road and for what it was, it was a fairly dull journey. Unlike their travels before, the hobbits were now able to just travel by the east road to Rivendell and avoid the Midgewater Marshes. Uneventful, but in short time they had reached Rivendell and as was the plan, they had arrived before the other members of the fellowship had.

* * *

"Welcome to Rivendell once more Prince Greenleaf" Lord Elrond welcomed Legolas and gestured for the prince to sit down at a beautiful wooden table.

"I have sent the hobbits to get reacquainted with Bilbo and assigned them their rooms to rest. They seemed to have lost all desire for sleep when I mentioned Bilbo was waiting for them"

Legolas bowed to the elder elf and smiled, he knew how excited the four hobbits had been to see Bilbo again. They had been talking about nothing else for the last few hours before reaching Rivendell. Despite it being near to midnight and their long walk, seeing Bilbo had been their top priority.

"Thank you, for welcoming us back to Imladris Lord Elrond. I know my visit before was brief, but I have gained knowledge of my suspicions while retrieving the hobbits from the Shire."

Elrond sat down at the head of the table, "Your visit was a quick one last week indeed, but it told me enough to not question your motives. I have contacted the Lady Galadriel since and she has asked me to aid you in whatever way I can. She would not elaborate, but she too agrees something is amiss in Middle Earth once again. Perhaps you can enlighten me more."

Legolas nodded "Some time ago in Mirkwood I became haunted by an unwary feeling. I could not place it, it felt like I was being watched, yet there was nothing around me. I have since been trying to find the cause of it, but nothing led me to believe it was more than a feeling.

It wasn't until recently that it started to grow in the back of my mind. Like a shadow hovering over me, an unknown threat once again out there gathering strength. Still, I could not find the reason and there were no others who shared my thoughts.

I had asked my father for permission to leave to investigate this, as I could not simply let it be anymore. After I stopped by Imladris, I continued on to the Shire and it was near the village of Bree that Ceriella came to visit me"

"Ceriella? So far away from her home? Pray tell what was the cause for her to put herself at risk so. She knows of the evil forces out there that hunt her and her kin" Lord Elrond had known Ceriella for as long as he knew and as Legolas, feared for her safety.

"She had come to tell me my suspicions were correct. Ceriella had told me it is another wizard threatening Middle Earth. Saruman's pupil had now shown itself to the world and is gathering strength to invoke revenge upon those who have deprived him of his master. She fears he has taken up residence in Orthanc again, down south in Isengard. She had also voiced her concerns that the wizard's prime objective may be to destroy the fellowship first and foremost." Legolas explained.

"And most likely you first" Lord Elrond murmured quietly, his hand on his chin, deep in thought. When he raised his head again, he saw the prince before him, his eyebrows drawn together in question.

Elrond waved his hand in the air "It is nothing, pay it no heed. It is clear you path will lead you and the fellowship back to Isengard. This wizard is blocking my ability to foresee what lies on the road before you. We should await the arrival of the rest of the fellowship before we discuss this further prince. You should retreat to your room and take some rest, the task before you will not be an easy one."

It had been a kind request as much as it had been a command and Legolas knew not to defy his elder. Lord Elrond was a wise elf and had much to ponder about, which is often best done in peace and silence. He had wanted to share with Lord Elrond the painful memory that had been haunting him as of late, but realized he was not quite ready to share his burden. The knowledge would not aid anyone at this point. Things had happened as they had always suspected they did and it was no one's burden but his own. Legolas stood and bowed before retreating to his chambers.

Legolas, as prince, had been a familiar face in Imladris. Both before and after the War of the Ring. Ever since Lord Elrond and Aragorn had healed him from his wounds he had visited often as a way to repay his thanks and help with whatever tasks he could. He had earned himself his own chambers and was now walking back to them without much thought as to where he was going. His thoughts bouncing back between his memory and the task at hand his feet carried him to his destination automatically.

He laid himself down on his bed and stared out the small window nearby. The moonlight trickled into the room and gave it a peaceful glow. "I wonder what awaits" Legolas yawned as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_"Legolas! What have you done, why did you not save me?" a voice echoed through a thick fog. _

_Legolas found himself in dark woods that he did not recognize. A thick fog lay around him, covering everything in a eerie white glow. He could not see very far due to it, but tried none the less to localize the voice. It had come from behind him. "Who is it?" He called out, his bow prepared in his right hand._

_"You left me, abandoned me, never even tried!" it echoed again. Suddenly he thought to recognize the voice, though in pain and not quite the same as in his memories. _

_"Lea?!" His voice echoed through the thick fog. No answer came._

_Suddenly, a much angrier voice came from the other direction. "You are to blame for this all! You killed me!" the voice sounded much different and the prince quickly realized it was not Lea, it could not be._

_Readying his bow with an arrow he wandered in the direction the voice had come from. "Who are you?!" he called again._

_"It was You, You are to blame Legolas! You!" _

_Suddenly Legolas felt a blow against his chest as he was blown back, hitting the ground hard. His bow flew from his hand due to the sudden attack and was now out of reach. Once he regained his senses as to what had happened, Legolas tried to get back on his feet, but it wouldn't let him._

_"You will pay for what you have done to me!"_

_Another painful blow to the chest pushed him back to the ground and pinned his body there. Agonizing pain seared through the elf's body and blow after blow struck him. he tried to see who or where it was coming from, but the fog obscured his sight._

Dripping in sweat Legolas awoke, the voice still ringing clearly in his mind. Panting heavily he grabbed hold of his chest, in which he had that aching agonizing pain.

"Am I just imagining things, or does that actually hurt?" he wondered, his senses not quite having returned to him.

"You killed me!" the voice repeated in his mind. "I...I never killed anyone innocent, did I? Maybe when my memory blacked out, perhaps there was more to it?" his thoughts ran away with him, trying to explore the moments of his long past.

He shook his head, no, it couldn't be. He was not that kind of person, he would never harm anyone innocent. Even during the War of the Ring his precise aim had never led him to strike anyone but an enemy, he was sure of it.

Slowly his senses returned to him and he realized he was still holding his chest. He no longer felt any pain and quickly dismissed it all as a mere nightmare. Legolas figured it had to do with the memory he had gained as of late, he knew the guilt had been haunting him for all those years. And now that he had finally put it aside and made peace with it before the War of the Ring, it came back to haunt him all over again. Probably in even more severity as it had done before, the scenes would not leave him alone and crept up on him every peaceful moment he had. His sleep was probably no different, Legolas figured, sighing deeply.

He longed for the fellowship, just seeing them again, just seeing Aragorn again would put his mindset on a different track, he was sure of it.

* * *

"Welcome back to Imladris, fellowship of the ring. Reunited once more" Lord Elrond welcomed the seven.

Aragorn, Gandalf and Gimli had arrived the night after the hobbits and Legolas had. After joining up with the white wizard they had made great progress on their journey and had arrived a little early. They arrived in Rivendell in the middle of the night and had still been able to catch some well earned rest.

Legolas smiled at his good friends. "So good to see you" he spoke to them, embracing both Aragorn and Gandalf and clasping Gimli tightly on the shoulder. The hobbits followed the elf's example, excited to be amongst their best friends again.

"I am pleased to see you all here again, in Imladris, all in good health." Elrond's eye lingered on Aragorn for a moment, glad to see him regaining his former self after his daughter's passing. "But I am afraid it is not for a joyous occasion..."

And so the Lord Elrond started to explain what new quest lay before the fellowship. He explained everything Legolas had told him and elaborated upon it, so everyone was clear what new threat had befallen them and Middle Earth now. If they failed, if they succumbed to Saruman's pupil, Middle Earth was in great peril.

"I agree with what the Lord Elrond has said" Gimli spoke, after they had a moment to think it over. "We must rid Middle Earth of this new nuisance so we can go about our business again." Though happy to see his friends again, Gimli had been more than a little upset that this new quest had torn him from the task he had with his kin.

"I believe this force may be quite powerful son of Gloin, perhaps more as we anticipate. This pupil of Saruman has not only been taught with the wisdom of the Istari, but also with that of dark forces. Knowledge and powers I myself do not possess, whereas he knows all about us and what we are capable of"

The wizard had remained remarkably quiet during Lord Elrond's explanation, but had obviously paid attention very well. "His revenge is upon us personally. I am sure of the last 6 years it had plenty time to find our weaknesses and will prey on them every chance he gets. Besides that, I fear mostly for our elven companion."

"Why is that Gandalf?" Frodo asked.

"Our elven friend here is able to sense this dark force in much more strength than any of us can, or any of his elven kin. For that reason I fear it must somehow be connected to him. I feel it has bothered him more as he lets on"

The wise eyes of the Istari were locked on Legolas', as were all eyes in the room. Legolas' eyes told Gandalf that the man was right, but he did not need to elaborate. Aragorn's worried eyes were upon the elven prince as well, he remembered the gruesome assault Legolas had been through and prayed it would not befall him again.

"It does not matter now, what matters is the task at hand. The fellowship is reunited once more to fight against the dark forces that threaten these lands" Lord Elrond concluded, feeling Legolas was getting uncomfortable with everyone staring at him.

Gandalf broke the look he had upon Legolas and agreed with Lord Elrond. It did not matter now how and what, what mattered was that they would go on this quest to stop this force.

"You will stay with us for one more day. Gain the rest you need, you will set out at dawn. This evening there will be a great meal waiting for you" he said, his eyes sternly on the hobbits who he knew ate so much it was unimaginable.

* * *

As soon as the feast was set down on the table the hobbits started to dig in as if they hadn't been fed in days. It was only partially true, the meals had consisted largely of quick meals, barely cooked or seasoned in any way.

As the hobbits filled their plates with piles of food that they seemed to empty as fast as they filled them, Aragorn seated himself next to them. It had been a welcome sight, the smiles and chattering of the hobbits filled his heart with fond memories. He honored the four of them greatly, especially Frodo after all they had been through.

Aragorn scanned the large table and found many familiar faces next to the members of the fellowship. Many of the elves who lived in Rivendell had joined them, including Lord Elrond at the head of the table. He knew them all well from the time that he had spend in Rivendell growing up. They were all important in their own way and had all contributed their expertise or crafts to help supply the fellowship for their upcoming quest.

Lord Elrond had wanted to make sure they were well prepared for anything that was out there waiting for them. He had taken Aragorn aside earlier that evening, enlightening him of the fact that even the Lady Galadriel had expressed her concerns towards this new threat. He had asked Aragorn to keep an extra keen eye on Legolas, for even Lord Elrond had noticed he was not quite himself ever since he had arrived back in Rivendell.

Passing over all the familiar faces in deep thought, he soon came to realize Legolas himself was not seated at the table enjoying the meal. He had been meaning to catch up with his friend ever since his arrival, but Legolas had been remarkably absent as of late. Aragorn had an idea of his whereabouts though and excused himself from the table.

Legolas was standing in one of Rivendell's gazebo's overlooking the beautiful lands laying before it. It was a lone gazebo, not often visited by anyone far away from Rivendell's centre. The lands before it were breathtaking and it had been a place Legolas had often retreated to upon his stays. It had a certain quietness over it, a peaceful place to gather your thoughts when you needed to.

He stared out into the distance, he did not want to join the feast just yet. He had been happy upon the arrival of his friends and desired to be around them very much, but he still felt troubled. His thoughts plagued him during the days and his dreams haunted them at night. They were so real he could swear he was being ported to some other dimension upon closing his eyes, yet he knew such thoughts were folly.

Come dawn they would leave on their quest, they would find this dark force that was making him feel so uneasy. For the last two days he had felt his chest ache when he recalled the dream and the voice rang clearly in his head, echoing endlessly. Legolas had still not been able to make heads or tails of it, wracking his brain with the possibilities of its meaning.

He kept coming back to the conclusion his guilt was just playing tricks on him in his dreams. Together with the unwariness he felt growing from this new threat it was just toying with him. Yet he could not let it go, he wanted to, but in every silent moment it returned to him.

The prince let his head sink into the palm of his hand, resting his elbow on his knee for support. His head had started to pain him, so hard had he been trying to rid himself of the thoughts plaguing him. His mind seemed as foggy as his dream had been. "What is going on? Who is doing this? .. Or is it just my imagination?" He did not know what to think anymore, or what to do to start their new quest with a clear and fresh mind.

Suddenly Legolas felt a hand on his shoulder and he swiftly turned around to see who it was. He had been startled, so deep in thought had he been. Legolas eased down when he saw a familiar and even welcome face.

"Estel" he smiled upon the man, he had dearly missed him.

"Legolas, I have been meaning to talk to you. You have been a hard elf to find lately." he smiled back warmly.

Legolas moved his hand to Aragorn, still resting on his shoulder as the man seated himself next to him. "I apologize, I have been trying to figure things some things out by myself."

"It is unlike you to hide from me Legolas. And your thoughts must have consumed you greatly, for you did not even notice me walking up to you just now. It's unsettling to see you of all elves startled by a mere man like me."

His worried eyes caught Legolas' and the elf once again felt like apologizing. This was his best friend, this was the man that had bared his soul to him, the man that had healed his broken body. What secrets could he possibly keep from him?

"Lately something is troubling me greatly" the elf's eyes focused back on the horizon.

"Something..." Aragorn repeated, urging his friend to elaborate.

"A dream, a nightmare rather, for it seems as real as you sitting next to me here right now. It haunts me, during the days it plagues my thoughts with the possibilities of its meaning and during the night it haunts me in my dreams."

Legolas shifted his eyes back to the ranger to see his reaction. It had been a kind one, warm eyes full of understanding. No judgment, just a man patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I saw her Aragorn. I remembered, I saw how they took her, I heard her scream, I..." his voice trailed off, emotion stopping him from continuing.

"Lea" Aragorn understood immediately what his friend was talking about. He had been there with Legolas, even though he was but a young man, he understood very well the emotions the elf had gone through. Especially now that he had been through almost the same ones.

He squeezed Legolas' shoulder to let him know he understood and was there, much like Legolas had done for him many times before.

"It's so real, like it happened yesterday. Then the days after... the dreams I've had. Maybe it has something to do with our new quest, maybe it is build upon the memories of how I failed her. I do not know anymore."

Aragorn recalled the days after Arwen's passing and how his own guilt had played endless tricks on him, especially in his dreams. "I am sure they are but mere dreams my friend. Learning of what had happened to her, next to this new threat weighing down on your elven senses. I am sure they are what create your dreams plaguing you. Pay them no more heed, they will ebb away in time."

"Perhaps..." Legolas repeated. He smiled upon the man again, "Thank you Estel, you have eased my mind."

Aragorn smiled, happy that he could aid his friend. He was sure Legolas was going through the same grief that he had been before. And as the elf had been there for him, to distract him from the thoughts and dreams and to ease his mind then, he was glad now that he could return the favor.

Though the talk was short, it had done a great deal for the elf. He realized the solitude he had been seeking had only worsened his thoughts. All he needed was a good talk with his friend. The fog in his head had cleared and he felt like he was becoming more himself by the minute.

Aragorn helped his friend up and put his arm over the elf's shoulder. "Come my friend, forget about your tragic nightmare. Let us share happiness of our reunion with our friends."

Legolas smiled. "Thank you once more, but I beseech you not to tell anyone else what troubles me so. This is between us."

Aragorn nodded "Of course, I will not my friend, now let us join the others."

* * *

_A/N From 3 to 11 pages, hope you liked it. I apologize for taking a little while, various things had been taking up my days and left me with little energy to continue writing. Onwards with rewriting chap 3! Please do review, they make my day knowing my work of rewriting the story is appreciated :)_


	4. Dagri'nul (rewrite)

_A/N Rewrite Chapter 3 :)_

* * *

**3. Dagri'nul  
**

_Legolas heard his name being called from beyond the brush right before him. Over and over he heard her crying out for him, desperation ringing clearly in her voice._

_Roaring he gave every little bit of strength to counter the fierce grip he was being held in. He could not believe what had happened, from one moment to the next his world had turned upside down. Drawing strength from every fiber of his being, from every single emotion he felt, he tried to break free so he could reach his love. It was to no avail, her voice had died out from beyond the brush and panic overtook him._

_He felt her name go over his lips, straining his throat. The world had become a blur of slow-motion, everything had changed. She no longer answered him, she no longer called for him. He felt his head being pushed down to counter his apparently loud cries for her. He heard evil orc laughing reach his ears, it was the most sinister sound he had ever heard._

_While struggling, the fierce elf tried to locate the origin of the rough laughter. He managed to lift his head a little and saw a tall orc coming from behind the bush. The elf's eyes fell upon what he was holding within his claws and all strength just faded from him for a moment. His life suddenly stopped making sense as the beautiful elven arm fell lifeless from the orc's claw._

_Life seemed to stop completely as the prince held his breath for several seconds. From one moment to the next it all came rushing back to him, all his emotions overwhelming him. They formed a ball inside him that forced itself out in a loud yell._

_With renewed strength he struggled against his assaulters, pulling his arms and kicking them with his legs with all his might. It still made little difference, despite his efforts, his body was simply too weak to make a difference against three orcs much larger than him._

_The rough and harsh tones of the leader orc demanded his attention. It was a horrible voice, befitting of the being's exterior. It spoke of things he would never bend to, not even now. He would fade away before he would join them. Anger clearly written on his face, the elf spat at the orc with all he had, denying him his prize. In the same moment he managed to release one of his right arm and quick as he could reached for the dagger at his side._

_If only his body had not been so drained at that point, he would have been quicker... He felt a sharp pain just below his ribs, searing through him. The pain would not be denied and a cry escaped the elf as he felt the foreign object lodged within him removed forcefully. He had lost all strength, he heard the orc speak more, but he hardly had the focus to process it. _

_He felt the orcs behind him release his body from their grip and he fell to the floor. He had hoped to brace himself from the impact, but his arms would no longer obey him. A large blow to his ribcage caused him to roll over, then another blow and another and another. Pain swallowed him whole and he no longer knew where or when he was as darkness closed in on him._

_When it was about to consume him, the blows stopped and the pain subsided to a bearable level. Legolas opened his eyes and noticed his surroundings were no longer the dark green trees of Mirkwood. Fog came rolling through unfamiliar trees and seemed to swallow him whole. The moonlight that fell upon the thick fog gave it an eerie white glow._

_He was still bound to the ground, pain coming from various places inside him, his body not responding in the least to his commands to get up. _

_"Legolas..." a voice hissed through the fogged forest._

_Legolas recognized the voice, it had been the same one that had been haunting him for days. He tried to focus his thoughts and suddenly came to the realization he was within another one of his dreams. Incredibly real or not, the familiar surroundings of his dream world gave it away. Through blurry vision he saw a dark silhouette came closer through the mists._

_"It was You!" the voice echoed all around him angry and fierce as it had been before._

_"You are to blame, you killed me!"_

_Before the elf could make full sense of the figure was hovering over him, dark glowing eyes looking down upon him angrily. "Who...who are you?" his voice was barely above a whisper._

_"Who am I?" The voice laughed, taunting the elf, "Someone you should fear greatly."_

_"Your name!" The elf demanded, trying to the best of his abilities to raise himself from the ground._

_"My Name?! I don't think you are within any position to be demanding things of ME!"_

_With a single finger the being lifted Legolas off the ground and the elf felt himself being thrown against a tree with an incredible force. It knocked the wind straight out of him. Now in a fairly awkward seated position Legolas managed to lay his eyes upon his assaulter. Blurry vision troubled him, but he did his best to focus and identify his enemy. It was to no avail, the figure was clad in full black robes and all he could see was two red glowing eyes under hood as it walked closer to him._

_"You will pay for what you have done to me!"_

_"It was you who returned me the memory of Lea, wasn't it?" Still brave the elf was searching for answers, clarification to everything he had experienced as of late._

_"Of course it was me Legolas - to poison your soul, weaken the barriers protecting it. You were once a strong guarded warrior with many barriers, but this... she, she can still penetrate them without much effort. I knew it was her memory that would allow me access. And now here you are, at my mercy dear Prince. You will not be of any aid to your dear friends, they too will be at my mercy in time."_

_Legolas cast his eyes to the ground, for he knew it had worked exactly as this evil being had intended. It had blurred all his senses and it had lowered his guard. It had consumed him so much, he had not even heard Aragorn approach him the other night. How could he even be of use to the fellowship on their forthcoming quest in this state? If his friends were in danger, would he be able to protect them? He felt weakness and despair engulf him as he returned his eyes to the being standing before him._

_An unseen smile crept over the dark figure under its hood, he had reached his goal. The prince would be so deeply troubled by his thoughts that he would not be able to focus on the fight which was to unfold in Isengard in the near future. He had reacted exactly the way the dark figure had anticipated and now it would make sure its plans would succeed and the elf would no longer be a hindrance._

_"No! You won't! My friends won't die because you managed to distract me with old memories and threatening dreams!" Legolas suddenly called out._

_"What?!" The dark figure was clearly taken aback by the prince's persistence. It had miscalculated the love he held for them._

_"You shall watch them perish before your eyes dear prince, I will make sure of that!"_

_The figure before the elf was clearly enraged and intended to finish the job before it. Legolas kept holding on to the fact it was but another nightmare and sooner or later he would wake. He would Not give in!_

_It moved even closer to Legolas, who still refused to show his fear. Legolas could hear words being whispered from under the dark hood, words in the tongue of Mordor. A hand appeared from under the black robes and made its way to Legolas' chest. The elf tried to grab hold of the arm, preventing it from doing any harm, but he was not yet strong enough. No matter what he did, he felt like he was trying to move a mountain. The dark red eyes shone upon him as the words intensified. With a single finger the being managed to slash open the elf's tunic and the prince's chest was bared. _

_Legolas felt the hand move to his naked skin and upon contact it was icy cold, freezing his skin. He struggled against the being, but it had a firm grip upon him. The voice became louder and the eyes shone with more intensity. He felt the icy cold hand on his chest turn warm and then unbearably hot, burning away at his pale skin._

_"Scream prince Greenleaf, let me hear your cries of anguish as you heard mine when you decided my fate! Scream!"_

_Holding on with every bit of strength he had left to his dignity, he refused to scream against the pain. It was just another nightmare..it was just in his mind, it wasn't real! It seemed to enrage his assaulter only more._

_"You Will Suffer!" The pain nearly doubled and Legolas felt like a hot knife was carving out his chest as if it were a pumpkin. The force the being had put upon him was lashing away at him, pain searing through his chest as if something was pulling his heart straight out of his chest._

_He could no longer bear it and the elf slumped to the ground. He had not screamed, but the figure before him was content with what it had done to the elf. Smirking it spoke to the unconscious elf before him. "You are strong Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, prince of Mirkwood," it hissed the titles with obvious malcontent, "but I will overcome you. You will suffer at my hands until all you know and love is destroyed by my hand." _

* * *

Aragorn wandered the halls of his old home, they held so many memories for him. From the days when he was but a little boy to the day when his destiny had dawned upon him and he took on the name of his real father. It had probably been one of the most confusing days and his life and it had taken him a fair while to adjust to his new world.

He remembered the days when he fell in love with Arwen here in Imladris and of the day she left his side in the very same city. A smile came upon the man's face when he thought of the fair Arwen, it lingered on as he thought of her departure. When thinking of Arwen he was always filled with endless overwhelming emotions, but it finally seemed that the pleasant memories would conquer the painful ones. When his thoughts now visited her he was able to smile and see her as she was in life, beautiful and kind. Tears still came now and again, but they no longer cast him in a darkness he saw no exit from for a long time.

The man had managed to catch a few hours of sleep after the feast, satisfied and filled up it didn't come hard to him. But now he was wide awake, usually a walk through Rivendell would cure him of his insomnia. Afterwards, relaxed and with his thoughts cleared, he would usually return to sleep without much effort.

It was upon his return to his bed chamber that he heard some strange sounds. He looked around, closer to the chambers on his right to determine where the sounds came from. It didn't take the ranger long to determine it was Legolas' room.

'What is going on? That sounds like... struggling?' Aragorn couldn't quite place the sounds and decide to further investigate. He knocked on the door to the prince's room "Legolas?" No answer "Legolas, is everything alright?" he called again, daring to raise his voice a little bit. He knew it was hardly needed, elven hearing was legend and even if he had been whispering on the other side of the door, Legolas would've heard it if he wanted to. Still no answer...

The sounds came and went from beyond the door, soft groans with inaudible murmurings in between. Aragorn dared to go one step further and pushed upon the door. Upon stepping into the room he quickly noticed the source of the sounds.

Legolas lay in his bed, twisting and turning in his sleep. 'He's having another one of his nightmares' Aragorn determined, sadness written clearly on his features. He wished his friend wasn't suffering under his grief so, it was hurting him to see him like this and decided to wake him.

As Aragorn came closer to the bed he soon realized the situation was more dire as he had first assessed. Sweat lay heavily upon the elf's brow, his face pale and his breathing ragged. Next to that the most alarming feature Aragorn noticed was that Legolas' eyes were closed, elves usually slept with their eyes open.

The man lay his hand upon the front of Legolas' left shoulders and found the elf's skin hot to the touch. 'Something is definitely amiss' Aragorn thought with worry. "Legolas, Legolas wake up." The elf did not respond, the sounds that had escaped him before no longer did so. Legolas' eyebrows were drawn together in pain, but he no longer made a sound.

"Legolas, wake up!" He shook the elf against the shoulder.

Still no response and the man began to panic, 'How could I have been so stupid, Legolas told me of his nightmares and I dismissed them to be mere dreams! Now... perhaps they are not what I believe them to be. I have never seen a nightmare have this much of an effect upon anyone, let alone an elf'

"Legolas! Awake, please awake" By now the king had hold of his friend's shoulders and had lifted him slightly off the surface off the mattress, shaking him in hope this would rouse him from the nightmare.

He was about ready to retrieve both Lord Elrond and Gandalf when a soft moan erupted from the elf in his hands. He laid him back down on the bed gently, but didn't remove his hands from the elf. "Legolas?" deep concern rang in the man's voice.

"Where am I?" Legolas spoke weakly as he opened his eyes.

"In your room in Imladris my friend"

"Estel..." A terrible headache throbbed against his temples and blurred vision slowly came into focus as the man and elf locked eyes. Pain seared through his muscles as he tried to get to a seated position.

"The woods... the dark figure.. Mordor tongue..." several words fell from the elf's lips that did not make much sense to Aragorn, but they caught his interest.

"Mordor tongue?"

"The pain, my chest, it..." Legolas' voice trailed off as he seemed to recall his nightmare. Suddenly the elf rapidly pulled off the white thin shirt he had been sleeping in. It was drenched in sweat Legolas noticed as he threw it to the floor. The elf ran his hands across his bare chest. Aragorn had no idea what was going on, but decided to let it play out before him. His eyes followed the elven hands and he couldn't help but admire the slender but muscular form before him. 'Is there any part of this elf that isn't fair?'The man found himself staring and shook himself out of his thoughts.

"What seems to be the matter Legolas?"

Legolas' hands dropped back on the blankets, seemingly unable to find what they had been searching for. "In the nightmare, it was..." the prince caught himself and paused for a moment reassessing his words "no, it was just a nightmare, it is nothing Aragorn".

Aragorn caught the elf's eyes again and found him to look a little lost. It was a strange emotion Aragorn had never before seen in them, and he had looked in them often. "Are you sure you are alright? You were in quite a fit, I couldn't wake you."

Legolas nodded slowly and tore his eyes from Aragorn as if in deep thought. "I am sure" he answered absently "it was just a mere dream, like you said".

Aragorn felt a pang of guilt at the elf's words, he had not meant to respond to the nightmare so casually, especially now that he saw the struggle Legolas had gone through tonight.

"You were in quite a state Legolas, perhaps I have looked upon the matter too lightly. Your eyes were closed, you were warm to the touch and... Are you sure nothing else is going on?"

"Nay, I am certain Aragorn" the elf's eyes looked into Aragorn's with determination. "It was a nightmare that troubled me greatly, but I am sure it was still just a mere nightmare." Legolas' hand traced over his chest once more, "See, no wounds, I am fine. I must have travelled far in my dreams, nothing is amiss now" It almost seemed like the elf was trying to convince himself more as Aragorn.

The man nodded, if Legolas insisted it was nothing, it must be so. He decided to keep an eye on the elf during their journey, he still wasn't convinced what he had just witnessed was normal.

"Alright, I'll return to my chambers and grab a few hours of rest more. Unless you would like me to stay?"

Legolas shook his head, the man was taking his worry too far. He was a proud warrior of Mirkwood, all this concern was not needed. "I'll meet you and the others at dawn" Legolas smiled at Aragorn and grabbed his hand before the man left "You really needn't worry, I'll be fine".

As Aragorn left the room, convinced that nothing urgent was amiss with his friend, Legolas started to feel guilty, he hadn't been quite honest with the man. He checked his chest once more and found nothing to be wrong still, he was so sure when he awakened that something was still carving away at his chest. Legolas had never experienced such pain before, though over the course of the conversation it had slowly faded.

'It must really have been just a nightmare, the pain left my body as it would when dreams and emotions you had in them fade from you shortly after you wake. Yet... I feel weary and empty'

Legolas moved his legs to the side of the bed and put his hand back over his chest. He felt his heart beating reassuringly and relaxed to the sound of the beat. 'Everything seems to be fine'. And yet some nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him something was different, he couldn't put his finger on it. Legolas contributed it to the feeling of the dark force that was still lurking in his mind, as he had done before.

He decided not to return to sleep for the rest of the night, fearing the dreams would return to him. His feet carried him to the window and he gazed upon the peaceful scenery outside. A small pond was behind his room, encircled with ancient trees and lively flowers that never seemed to fade. The moonlight reflected upon the water, illuminating the pond beautifully.

It was no coincidence this room had been assigned to the prince of Mirkwood, such beauty was rare to find in his homeland. Every time he visited Imladris the Lord Elrond found him admiring the beautiful landscape, conversing with the same trees he was viewing now. Legolas had spend so much time visiting the pond, Elrond only found it to be befitting to give him the room adjacent to it.

Legolas climbed gracefully out of the window and took place among nature. As he sat down he instantly felt more at peace. His mind returned to the dream involuntarily within a few minutes and darkness returned to cloud him.

'The dream, what does it mean?' he wondered. 'It cannot possibly be reality, there seems to be nothing wrong where the hand burned my skin. Perhaps it is a vision of the future, the figure warned me I would not be able to help my friends, perhaps this is why?'

Legolas stared at the stars in the sky, hoping they would give him clarity on his dreams. 'It seems so real and the feeling in my chest lately. What would cause that kind of pain?'

And then he remembered something Aragorn had told him many years before, when the man had been assigned to be the elf's babysitter. The man was young and his knowledge of healing had been mostly theoretical. He remembered Aragorn kept a watchful eye over him when he struggled with his guilt the hardest. Legolas had once asked him why it scared the man so, what he was watching out for, the elf had been on the mend and he did not think all the extra worry was well placed.

"I have heard of elves fading over a broken heart, prince. When they lose the object of their affection, when that what makes their world go round and their heart beat. Sometimes, sometimes elves just fade away. Lord Elrond told me of warriors so gravely injured that they would no longer be able to function without aid, limbs lost" Aragorn had stopped at the thought of it then. "Sometimes they would fade away in their grief. Their light would dim inside their chests and they would stop being who they were and pass on eventually. It wouldn't always be instant, sometimes it would take weeks for an elf's body to pass on after its soul had faded. I.. I am worried you might too, grieving over your wounds and the disappearance of Lea. I would not want that to happen, I have grown fond of you over the weeks and would not want you to fade."

At the time Legolas had dismissed it, he had been grieving for Lea, but it had never occurred to him to give up after he had learned she was not to return. He had always felt there was more waiting for him after that, as difficult as it had been, something drove him to continue on. He knew his destiny was not to fade away then. He had solemnly pledged the young man his everlasting friendship and not to fade away before his destiny was fulfilled.

'Perhaps now my time has come. I fulfilled my destiny in aiding the ring-bearer and the quest. We have saved Middle Earth and I consoled Estel when he needed me most as he did for me. I have fulfilled my task for both Middle Earth and the man I owed a great debt to, perhaps this is why my memories are returning to me...' Legolas wondered of the possibilities.

He had since asked his father about the fading of elves and he had acknowledged what Aragorn had told him. Through experience the king had added on what it felt like as an elf.

"It's a terrible pain in your chest, both sharp and dull at times. It is hard to describe my son, when your mother passed away grief had nearly taken my light as well. I missed her so dearly and saw no future without her by my side, it was not until later that I realized I had a duty to my children and my realm."

"But father, does it feel like any wound one would gain on a battlefield?"

"The battlefield rages in your soul then my son." The king tried to gather the words to describe the most difficult battle he had ever fought. "It... it feels like the light within you is fading, like you have no desire to carry on. The pain started with terribly throbs in my chest, physical aches that made it feel like an orc was stabbing me in the chest many times. Over time it faded to dull aches eating away at me, as if where my heart had used to be there was now a hollow chamber filled with sadness and pain." The king's voice trailed off as he recalled the events.

"But my son, why ask of this now. You will not fade away, you will make me proud by being a fine warrior and sail to the undying lands with your brothers and myself when the time of elves is over"

Legolas compared the knowledge he had gained from both Aragorn and his father to what was happening to him now. Perhaps he had been right, perhaps now that his destiny was fulfilled and his debt to Aragorn paid off it was time to face what had always been waiting for him.

A part of the elf wanted to believe it, believe that his destiny was now to join Lea and beg her for forgiveness in the afterlife, for failing her. Another part of him ached terribly at the thought, Aragorn kept wandering through his thoughts, he did not want to leave the man. He had told Aragorn he would be there through all his short life. He had done so when the man was young and asked him not to fade away, after the coronation when the man had asked for his help to learn how to rule his lands and when Arwen had passed away.

And even all that wasn't the reason, it wasn't the thought of broken promises to the man that ached him. It was merely the thought of not being there, of not being close to the man, not ever hearing his voice again. Legolas' chest ached more for the thought of leaving Aragorn than it did for anything else.

Legolas shook his head, he was confused with all these emotions. All of it so unknown to him he did not know which was which anymore. The elf got up and wandered a bit to go to Aragorn's chambers. The elf came upon his window and stared through it to find the man fast asleep in his bed. Legolas smiled, 'No, I could not leave that man if I wanted to. I could never leave the man I love so dearly'

Putting his hand against the window Legolas realized how inappropriate his feelings for his friend were. Since Arwen had passed away he had come to find the feelings of friendship he held for the man and been long outgrown. It had confused him greatly at first. Every time he held the man in his arms, consoling him and drying his tears, he had been confused. He had wished dearly his love could've comforted the man, but he knew how men looked upon the love between two males. It was unheard of between men and even among elves it was rare, not frowned upon like it was among men, but uncommon.

He knew he could never replace the Lady Arwen, he knew Aragorn would never return his feelings and thus he kept them to himself. It comforted him knowing he could be everything the man wanted him to be, the best of friends and his companion in many a thing. He would always love the man, but he would love him from afar. Losing the man if he would word his feelings would be too much to bear.

It ached him though, it was not easy to be so close to a man and restrain yourself all the time. Not being able to tell the object of your affection what you feel for them and have it returned. By itself it was a horrible feeling, but it beat not having the man in his life at all. One cannot help who they fall in love with after all and he had fallen in love with the king of men.

Of all the people, he had fallen in love with a man, not an elf. And then the King of men at that, he had made quite a predicament for himself. Long had Legolas tried to overcome his feelings and return them to a different nature, but after many seasons the elf had given up. He could not fight what he felt and made the choice on how to deal with it.

_"You will not be of any aid to your dear friends, they too will be at my mercy in time."_

_"You shall watch them perish before your eyes dear prince, I will make sure of that!"_

The voice suddenly rang clear in his mind. "No.. My dear Aragorn, I promise you, I will not let you down. I will help you, as I will help everyone in our upcoming quest. I will not fail you too"

* * *

When the sun started to rise Legolas had withdrawn himself from his solitary environment where he had stayed the remainder of the night. The others would rise soon as well and prepare for their departure. He had decided he would look upon the weaponry, make sure they had all left the smithy in good condition.

Of course the elf that had worked till deep in the night sharpening their swords and tending to them in ways only elves knew had done a great job. Legolas just needed some direction to put his mind towards, it did him no good to let his emotions run him as they had done throughout the night.

The four hobbits were off with Bilbo saying goodbye once again. The old hobbit no longer had any gifts for his favorite nephew, but Frodo had held on the his previous gifts very well. They were very precious to the small hobbit, they had fared him extremely well on his last journey and before that they had served Bilbo himself in his time of need.

Gimli, Gandalf, Aragorn and Legolas were fit for travel within an hour, their packs had been fixed the previous night and goodbyes had been said quick. It was the hobbits they were now waiting for, who still lingered on with Bilbo listening to tales the old hobbit had to tell.

Aragorn's eyes lingered over his companions. The stout dwarf was leaning heavily on his axe, embedded into the ground. He had complained more than once that their companions were simply taking too much time and he wanted to be off. Gandalf was staring off to what seemed to be nothing, deep in thought. He held his pipe between thumb and index finger, puffing smoke from his lips in even intervals. It was such a natural behavior for the wizard that he must not even notice himself doing it anymore as his thoughts carried him to place Aragorn could only fathom.

His eyes fell upon the elf, who was leaning back against a rock tending to his bow. With slender long fingers he checked the string multiple times, occasionally tightening it at either the top of the bottom. A smile crept on the man's face, Legolas had always been overly fussy about his bow being in perfect condition. After all, how could he do the shots only he could do without a perfectly strung bow.

When the prince was content with his bow the quiver came down to the ground and he started tending to the arrows, one by one, making sure none were faulty. The sun had crept over the horizon and the rays were now falling upon his friend ever so fairly. It took his breath away, the golden locks upon the prince's head seemed to glow brightly.

Long had Aragorn admired his friend, from the day he had laid his eyes upon him. A broken mess he had been, but the man could see far beyond that and saw something so beautiful like he had never witnessed before in his life. There had always been this aura around Legolas that enthralled him. Calm and kind, patient and light and when the elf smiled it warmed his heart in so many different ways. And yet now, things seemed different...

Remembering the event that had befallen Legolas last night he could not help but feel a distinct worry forming in his chest. Never before had he seen him like this and it was not a welcome sight. It had been a long time ago that Aragorn had seen the prince like that, lost and weary. Ever since the elf had always been a proud warrior, tending to others before he did to himself. It had been more than once Aragorn had to force the elf down to tend to his injuries. He always shrugged it off, even if his wounds pained him deeply. Pointing at various injured men around them he had said his natural ability to heal would take care of his wounds, always sending Aragorn off to aid others with his expertise.

A heavy weight seemed to sit on the elf's shoulders, weighing him down heavily. As he tended to his arrows his thoughts seemed to have been of a different nature. He had remembered some of Legolas' kind comforting words when his grief lay so heavily on him. 'Arwen lives on in everything you see around us Aragorn. Her memory and soul will forever live on in the trees, the rives, the birds and all of us. She will never truly be gone, she will always be here, wanting you to keep on living'. Aragorn wondered if he should tell the elf the same, but as he envisioned it in his mind it seemed stupid.

He longed to look into his azure blue eyes and see the light that always shone brightly within them, but now they seemed distant and troubled. Aragorn wished to the Valar that he would be able to aid Legolas somehow, that the elf would let his guard down around him and let him in to heal his wounds.

They had been close ever since Aragorn had made his visit to Mirkwood 67 years ago and even during the War of the Ring, Legolas had been his closest and most dearest friend. But over the last few years the elf had grown distant, he had grown barriers that guarded something from Aragorn. It had been very unsettling, but his affairs in Gondor had kept the man from further investigation why that was so.

It wasn't that Legolas was unkind or that they were not close as friends, but there was something. Something Aragorn could not quite determine, before they had been free around each other, knowing and accepting each other to their fullest. Now the elf seemed guarded, he often seemed to pick his words and actions carefully around the man. Aragorn wished he would stop, especially now that he seemed to need a friend the most.

"We're here!" Pippin exclaimed as the four hobbits strolled towards their friends.

"We apologize for the wait, Bilbo had to finish his latest tale" Frodo added, realizing their arrival had been overdue.

"And we had to finish breakfast" Pippin mumbled, poking Merry in the arm with a wide grin on his face.

"As long as you are ready now, then we can finally depart" Gimli spoke, not unkind, but impatient.

The hobbits nodded, apologizing once more.

* * *

Their route took them south from Rivendell alongside the Misty Mountains. It had been a few day's walk when they came upon a small forest. It was hardly big enough to be called a forest, but it provided excellent shelter. The sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon calling upon the fellowship to halt themselves and let their feet rest.

"Finally!" Pippin called out, enjoying the prospect of a good meal and some proper rest.

"Seems like ages since we last ate" Merry finished.

They both squatted down and instantly started rummaging through their packs in search of whatever fine combination of food would sate their appetite next. Naturally the hobbits their packs contained mostly whatever foods besides lembas bread they had come upon. Even during their journey, whenever them came upon an orchard of apples or bushes of berries their packs had filled even more.

"Restrain yourselves my friends, the fire has not even been build. How would you prepare your dinner without one?"

The elf had made a point and the hobbits glanced up to the tall prince hoping he would offer to build them one while they discussed what was going to be cooked and home.

"I'll go find some firewood" Legolas offered, knowing full well it was expected of him after pointing out their lack of a campfire. With a few quick strides he had disappeared beyond the trees.

The hobbits smiled and thanked Legolas and returned to their culinary discussions, Sam in the mean time had joined the discussion and tried to opt a good stew to settle their growling stomachs.

Their packs unfortunately did not hold many meat wares as they would easily spoil and weigh down upon them. Most of what they had were fruits and vegetables couple with a handful of different spices.

"That is it? What kind of meal does That make?" Gimli grumbled as he sat himself down against a tree, looking at what appeared from the backpacks of the hobbits. "Where's the venison and salted pork?" Gimli's mood had not lightened up under the burden of an empty stomach, but the prospects of making a homely stop at his kin in Moria. Not all was inhabitable yet, but many of the hostile creatures had retreated to far away room within the mines. The dwarves that took up residence in the safer chambers had sealed off much of the mines and kept a watchful guard. They knew one day someone would come and clear the mines fully, making their home glorious once more. Until that day, they would keep evil at bay and guard the safe corners of their home. All the dwarf had to do still was convince the wizard a stop there would be beneficial for them.

"I know it is not much, master dwarf, but we hardly had time to hunt and weigh ourselves down with your favorite meals" Gandalf spoke. "I'm afraid it is of a larger importance to reach Isengard in time then it is to satisfy our appetites."

The dwarf huffed indignantly then muttered something about the fact it was still not befitting of a dwarf. Fruits and vegetables, pah!

Knowing the stubbornness of dwarves Gandalf decided not to pursue the discussion, certainly he had made his point. He turned, leaning on his staff and cast his eyes upon the hobbits. They had decided upon the stew Sam had offered, a little disheartened by the fact they could not satisfy the dwarf's stomach.

Beyond them the Istari's eyes fell on a lone man on top of the hill, overlooking the camp and the lands beyond. Gandalf had noticed that both the man and the elf had been in deep thought and decided it was a good time to speak of it with the man. He had a feeling something had happened between the two that would need to be resolved before the end, lest it interfered with their quest.

Aragorn, despite being deep in thought had noticed the wizard walking up behind him before he had made his presence clear.

"I fear there are things going to happen in the near future I have no control over" Aragorn spoke earnestly.

"Is that what has been occupying your mind so much as of late Elessar?"

"In a variety of ways, yes" Aragorn answered cryptically. He had not yet turned around to face the wizard and was watching the sun sink slowly beneath the clouds. Gandalf merely waited patiently for the man to elaborate.

"I fear for him, I fear for what awaits us and how it affects him"

It was the only explanation the king gave, but he knew the Istari would know the meaning of them without elaboration.

"The elf has been sheltering his heart against great grief I fear. I had heard him speak of poor Lea some days ago. He had not meant for me to hear it, but I fear she had been on his mind more and more."

Aragorn turned around and sat down next to his old friend. "He has remembered what had happened that unfaithful day in Mirkwood"

Though not present at the ordeal, Gandalf had heard a great deal about it. Everyone in the elven kingdom knew of the grief that had befallen Mirkwood that day, how they had almost lost their prince. Gandalf nodded, "It is most unfortunate this would burden our friend so, now that we need his elven senses the most. Legolas is the key to defeating this new force and certain important things might escape him when he is as absent as he is now."

Aragorn wanted to tell Gandalf of what he had witnessed their last night in Rivendell, but decided not to. Legolas had insisted it was just a nightmare forged out of his grief, it was not his to place to tell the Istari of how much the elf was troubled.

"He has barriers up that I can no longer penetrate. He would never ask for help, his pride prevents him from asking and his kindness steers help away from him towards others that would need it much less as he sometimes" Aragorn complained.

"Those are the remarkable abilities of a true elvish heart my dear king. Let him know you are there for him Aragorn, for I doubt he would turn to anyone else but you in true times of need"

"I just wish I could ease his burden Gandalf. Not only for the quest but to repay him for what he has done for me upon Arwen's passing. It pains me to see him like this"

"You can Elessar" Gandalf turned his face towards the man and smiled upon him as if he had knowledge of things that Aragorn did not. "You can" he repeated.

Aragorn opened his mouth to question the wizard what _that _had meant, but the wizard was already walking back down the hill. "Wizards always speaking in riddles" he sighed as he followed him down to camp.

"Master Dwarf, I have heard your complaining from beyond the many trees and you sounded like a dissatisfied child" Legolas jested as he approached the camp holding many limbs of old dried wood.

"A dissatisfied child?" Gimli repeated incredulous, "That is exactly what you sound like every time I beat you at killing orcs."

The elf smiled at his comment, he had missed the arguments with the dwarf. Many times the jests between them were what kept his spirits high during their last quest. He was happy to know not many things had changed in their most unlikely friendship.

"I do not see how one like you could gain so much appetite compared to his small size. Although that belly of yours, quite disproportionate to your body, perhaps that is why."

"That is it you foolish elf!" Gimli stood but did not reach half of the elf's size. Legolas laughed as he dropped the firewood in the circle of rocks the hobbits had made before them. He put a hand on the dwarf's shoulder "I merely jest my friend, I will take the burden off your stomach"

"And how will you do that elf, I'm afraid your limbs are far too skinny to be good for any meal that would satisfy me"

"Fear not master dwarf, I could not bear to see this discontent so I took the liberty to hunt you some game. It is no salted pork or venison I am afraid, but I hoped it would do" He casted his eyes on the wide-eyed hobbit at his feet, who had begun the fire. "And for you too of course" the elf smiled as he opened up his cloak, unveiling seven ducks the elf had shot in his absence. "There is a small pond beyond the woods, it is where the flock of birds had nested for the night" he explained, pointing in the direction behind him.

The hobbits were in complete awe and utterly excited at how their meal had turned out far better as they had expected.

"But Legolas, there are only seven ducks, did you forget to shoot us one more?" Sam asked, counting the fowls before him as he plucked them of their feathers.

Legolas shook his head "I shot one for you all, I only shoot life when it is needed. I have enough lembas bread and fruit in my pack for myself."

Sam looked at Legolas a little sad the elf himself would not dine his prizes with them. "Don't fret my friend, I have no taste for duck myself tonight. Please, do enjoy, it would warm my heart knowing you are all enjoying yourselves."

With that the hobbits returned to preparing the meal thanked the elf once more. Legolas walked from them after he clasped Gimli once more on the shoulder. The dwarf had been very thankful, but too proud to thank the elf in the way the hobbits had. He had grunted an almost inaudible 'thank you' as he returned a pat on the hand on his shoulder.

It was enough for the elf, the relationship between Legolas and Gimli was an odd one. Odd but very strong, he counted the dwarf as one of his closest friends and despite the differences between their kin, their friendship had passed beyond that.

Legolas fell heavily against a tree a little away from the camp and started searching his pack for the lembas bread he had decided to be his meal for the evening. He had barely had any sleep since Rivendell and he felt weariness enter his bones. He had rested, pretended to sleep so no one would notice, but sleep never found him. He had not wanted it to find him most of the time, the nightmare that had plagued him in Rivendell had been haunting him so much he feared it would return with new additions in his next dreams. He knew it was a foolish thing to do for with each day passing he grew more tired and unlike his former self. 'Perhaps I should risk sleep tonight to regain my strength before I will fail my friends. This has not been doing me any good.'

Darkness had fallen fairly quick and the night air turned frisk. Everyone had huddled closely around the fire to enjoy it's warmth. All except Legolas, who had not found the will to get up from his comfortable position against the tree. He enjoyed the solitude as he watched his friends enjoy the game he had hunted for them. It had given him a great satisfaction, knowing he had done something nice for his friends.

Suddenly he heard a unnatural rustling of leaves coming from behind him. Instantly the elf was on guard and he scouted the shades of the trees with his sharp eyes. And then he saw what had been the cause. A shadow stumbled through the woods, making his way to the fellowship with obvious difficulty.

"Kirandinell!" Legolas' sudden cry had instantly grabbed the attention of his friends as he rushed off into the woods. He caught the body just before it fell to the ground, relieved he had found his prince all strength had deserted the poor Mirkwood scout. Legolas scouted him in the dim light and came to the quick realization his friend had been wounded in various places, blood staining his tunic.

"Speak, what has happened?"

"At Isengard... new orc warriors created. Mirthia saw, she saw and informed me on her way back.. Argh... Strong prince, stronger than even Uruk-Hai. They caught me, near Moria entrance. Your father send me...to scout your road... to inform you, wanted me to... warn you... they come for you..." the elf in his arm panted, willing the words from his lips despite that his body worked against him.

"Kirandinell, it will be alright, Aragorn will..."

"No prince" Kirandinell interjected "I have done my duty to my realm and to my prince... my time is... "

Legolas saw how the dim light that had been in the elf's eyes faded and he knew he had passed on. He lowered his head in sadness, Kirandinell had been one of their realm's scouts only for a short while. Legolas remembered him as a mere elfling and he only recently had entered his father's service, he had been too young to pass on.

Kirandinell had done his duty, it was time he did his. These new orc were not to harm anyone else. He would have to step up and stop lingering in his memories to prevent this from repeating itself.

"Legolas, may I examine his wounds by the fire?" Gandalf's hand was on his shoulder.

All the prince wanted was to bury his friend in peace, but he knew it was important for the Istari to determine how much of a threat these new orcs were to him and his friends. He carried him towards the fire without a word and laid the body down. He closed his friends eyes and whispered a blessing to the Valar for him before he stood and stepped away, allowing the wizard and Aragorn to examine the body.

"The wounds seem to be old, at least two days ago" Aragorn spoke as he trailed his fingers over the gashes. It was a gruesome view to behold and for that the hobbits had turned their eyes away. "Some of them have barely healed despite the natural healing ability of elves" Gandalf concluded.

"He would have been mounted as he was scouting ahead of us, I fear his steed may have escaped him when his injuries no longer allowed him to ride" Legolas spoke absently.

"The wounds are deep and seem not be of any weapon I know. They seem like... claw marks" Aragorn said, confused when trying to determine what could have caused them.

"They must indeed be strong if they can cut flesh like this with their bare hands, we should be weary when fighting them. I think..." the wizard's voice trailed off as his eyebrows furrowed together. "I must think" he spoke as he sat back down at the fire, gazing into it as if the fire before him showed him old books and scrolls.

"I will bury Kirandinell" Legolas took the body and carried it off a little further into the woods. Aragorn raised to help him and with a hand on the elf's shoulder followed him to where Legolas had decided to bury his friend. Wordlessly they went to work on the grave, with their combined strength it did not take them long to dig a grave for the slender young elf. Legolas whispered a few blessings over the grave, as was custom to his kin. Aragorn stood close beside him, which comforted Legolas greatly.

He did not need to speak to the man, it was enough knowing he was there. He knew how Legolas felt and had been there helping him carry this burden. Aragorn, as well, had known Kirandinell and before they departed the grave site, he too spoke a few words.

"May you find strength and peace in the afterlife Kirandinell. May the Valar welcome you and bless you. You have blessed us on your short stay in the world"

Legolas grabbed Aragorn's hand as they stood together and squeezed it gently. "Thank you" he whispered, leaning lightly against the man with his light frame.

Aragorn's heart fluttered at the sudden touch from the elf. He had been longing for a kind word and touch from the elf and it came in a most unforeseen moment. He felt Legolas' warmth next to him in the cool air and wished he had words to tell him how thankful he was that the elf was there with him. Yet no words came, and he just stood there enjoying the moment.

Legolas could not believe what he was doing, in a moment of weakness he could no longer stand it and he had given in to his desire to be close to the ranger beside him. It was such a warm feeling to be close to Aragorn and yet the thoughts that kept plaguing him were those telling him it was terribly inappropriate what he was doing. And yet the man had not stopped him, he was holding his hand as well... 'No, what am I thinking? Aragorn is just too honorable to tear himself from me in my moment of sadness'

Legolas released Aragorn's hand and tore himself away with great heartache. "We should return to camp, perhaps Mithrandir has more answers for us." Aragorn nodded and followed the elf back to camp quietly.

"Legolas, who is Mirthia? How is it that she saw these orc warriors at Isengard?" Frodo was upon the elf with questions the moment he returned.

"She is our eagle Frodo, a good friend to my kin in Mirkwood and faithful friend to my father. She has helped out Mirkwood with her keen eyes more than once. My father must've sent her off to Isengard with our scouts to give us the advantage. Do not question what her eyes see Frodo, for they have never deceived us."

"No no, I mean not to question her Legolas, not at all. I was merely wondering who she was."

Legolas gave a weak smile "She and her kin came to your rescue once, at the mountain of Doom in Mordor".

Frodo gasped "That was her and her kin? Please give her my thanks next you see her"

Legolas nodded, "I shall, but do not worry dear Frodo. They were all glad to play their part, if it wasn't for you the war would not have ended and Sauron would have had dominion over us all"

"Dagri'nul" In between the white puffs of smoke coming from the wizard's worth, now strange words tumbled.

"Dagri'nul? I have heard of those before.." Aragorn responded.

"Indeed you could have son of Arathorn, for those were the dark orc warlords that plagued the lands long ago. They are mentioned in many old books describing the events of the first age" Gandalf started and a small gasp of recognition fell from Legolas.

"They had taken many elves and brought them before Melkor. Aided by his servant Sauron he had transformed them through torture and other malicious ways. It was how the first orcs came to be. Pure and full of Melkor's own hatred for the Valar and their creations they were fierce and strong warriors. They were not many, but their strength did not lay in numbers, fearless they were as they unleashed Melkor's will on Middle Earth. They called the first Dagri'nul"

"You remember your history well prince Greenleaf" Gandalf commended the elf for his knowledge. "By some strange demonic power this wizard must've been able to return these warriors to Middle Earth" he added.

"Gandalf? Why did they take elves and not men or dwarves?" Merry asked, having taken an interest in the expansive history of Middle Earth as of late.

"This was way before the age of men and dwarves Meriadoc. Melkor had grown jealous of the fair children of Illúvatar. They had gifts that Melkor desired for his army and a beauty and kindness he could not stand, but what had attracted him most was the near immortality of the elves. He thought to strengthen his army with it, but as he twisted the dark forms into orcs, they lost their light and thus their immortality, fairness and kindness, all that once made them elves.

The Dagri'nul are strong warriors with strong hearts filled with hatred for all that is good and kind. But fortunately they are not much harder to slay as Saruman's strongest Uruk-hai, if you manage to avoid their attacks.

Because elven blood still ran strong within their forms the first children of Illúvatar were able to sense their presence and were at least able to guard themselves well before they learned more about them."

Aragorn felt the elf next to him shiver and looked upon Legolas, who's face had a grave expression "Many of my kin fell to Melkor and his armies Gandalf, will this come to pass again?"

Gandalf shook his head "I think not Legolas. Whoever summoned them back to Middle Earth could not have done so in great numbers, otherwise they would have been upon us already. And their assignment is not to rid the world of elves and capture them this time I venture, for the evil one is after us personally before anything else. Should we fail though, I do not know what darkness Middle Earth would plunge into."

"But if they come for us Gandalf, would they not first go for Legolas? For he is also of elvish kind" Sam had been quiet the entire time, but had obviously been listening carefully to the tale the wizard had told.

"Yes, that would be my guess also master Gamgee. But as the elves of old I think we may have the same advantage" his eyes fell upon Legolas. "You have felt them for a while now, a shadow growing in the back of your mind giving you a sense of alarm without obvious cause. Am I correct?"

Legolas nodded and noticed all the worried eyes cast upon him. "Do not fear for my safety my friends. I can watch my back fairly well and do not intend to surrender easily" he tried to dispel the concern in their eyes. "Besides, I have good companions to fight alongside me, watching my back for me as well. And as Mithrandir mentioned, I'll be able to sense them before they come upon us." Everyone seemed comforted by his words, except for Aragorn, whose eyes still reflected concern and worry.

"But Gandalf, what would I feel when they come closer upon us?"

"Darkness my friend, an enveloping darkness that imprisons much grief and despair from your kind. I cannot say for certain, there was little mention of it in the books of old"

Legolas nodded, a little dismayed by the thought of feeling even more grief and despair upon him. "We can sleep at peace tonight, I do not feel any of them close upon us" Legolas spoke with a little uncertainty.

"They are probably still expanding their numbers in Isengard. We can rest assured tonight, but we best be having watches throughout the night. The Dagri'nul are not the only obstacles we may encounter on our journey. We do not yet know what other evils may lurk in the darkness" Gandalf spoke.

"I will take first watch. With the grief still fresh in my heart for my fallen friend, I do not desire sleep" Legolas spoke, his words only revealing one of the reasons he wished not to close his eyes tonight.

He grabbed his bow and perched himself on the hill overlooking the camp where Aragorn and Gandalf had discussed him earlier that night. Everyone but Aragorn nodded their approval and returned to their dinner before turning to their bedrolls shortly after.

The man watched Legolas climb the hill and he wished dearly to go up there with him and talk to him. It had been pleasant to be so close to the elf before and he longed for more of it. Aragorn did not quite understand why he was feeling these urges to be close to Legolas, but he did not want to fight them. It had been a long time since he had felt anything that had warmed his heart as it had done before and he welcomed it with open arms.

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_A/N Oh dear, perhaps I went a bit overboard expanding this chapter. From 3.400 words to a little over 10.000 :o, 18 pages! Right, when I'm finished rewriting all 23 chapters this may practically be a book haha. _

_Hope you enjoyed it, please __**review**__! I know more of you are reading than reviewing, but please take a moment to click the button below and leave me one, thank you in advance! :)_


	5. the Light Stolen (rewrite)

_A/N It seems that unlike 10 years ago more people favorite/follow or even bookmark fics to continue reading rather as reviewing :( _

_But my thanks goes out to my loyal reviewer "Dan", I am very glad you enjoy my fic and hope the following chapters do not fall short of your expectations. _

_22-02-2013 as of today I am officially an auntie! My lil sister gave birth to my nephew and the whole commotion and hours in the hospital has put a small hold on writing. So sorry the chapter is a bit delayed._

_Onwards! - Chapter 4 rewrite_

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**4. The Light Stolen**

Legolas' mind did not take rest at all tonight, he was on keen alert staring into the darkness of the lands surrounding their camp. He had not yet felt anything that would indicate any Dagri'nul were closing in on them and if it was not for the fact that he had never experienced that particular feeling, he would have been a bit more at ease.

"Darkness my friend, an enveloping darkness that imprisons much grief and despair from your kind. I cannot say for certain, there was little mention of it in the books of old"

Legolas remembered Gandalf's words, of the little he knew of these ancient orcs. He hoped he would sense them, the others had more faith in him as he did. Little did his friends know his mind was in complete disarray. Normally the elf was in complete control and one by one the barriers that held his most overwhelming and fearful feelings at bay had come down.

It was a miracle he was able to contain it all within himself still and even Legolas himself did not know how he was hiding it so well. It was probably the many years of practice, he had always been skilled at keeping secrets and hiding his true self to the outside world. Not that he was of a devious nature, that never. The prince was formidable in most he did, if not all and therefore much was expected of him. Showing weakness was not counted among one of his features and he made sure no one ever had cause to suspect any either.

There was only one time in his life when all of Mirkwood had looked upon him with pity and named him in their prayers, praying to heal his wounds and grief. None but Aragorn on a single occasion had ever seen Legolas weep in his entire adult life as an ellon. Many of his kin often said that their prince as blessed by Nienna, who would shed her tears for their prince and absolve him of his grief. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

At times it was a lonely feeling, it was not that the standards were initially set high by his people, it was Legolas and Legolas alone that had created the mask he voluntarily wore for most of his life. Most had never urged the elf to do anything else but continue his facade, not even his father or brothers had done so. It was only Aragorn, the Lady Galadriel and the Lord Elrond who had on certain times encouraged the prince to show the world how he truly felt. But by then his mask had become one with him and he could no longer part from it. He shed his tears in solitude behind his mask and assumed the role he had laid out for himself; a stoic, proud and strong warrior of Mirkwood.

Now the system he had so carefully constructed over the years to lock away his feelings was failing. By the day Legolas felt like a shadow of what he had once been, emotions spilling over dams that were crumbling inside him.

The elf sighed loudly, wondering if the Valar had abandoned him. Staring off the sky he soon found himself praying to them silently, hoping they would answer his prayers.

The prince prayed to Îdh, requesting she would heal his weariness and grant him the rest he so desired. To Nienna, that she, as his people believed, may for once truly shed his tears and allow him to continue without the burden of grief. And to their husband and brother Lúrin to keep the nightmares at bay, to protect his dreams as he slept and rest. To Vairë Legolas prayed for many things. Legolas wanted to pray for many things he would want her to weave into his life, for a man's story to be woven to his... But he knew her 'storied webs' would not envelop just his own small life, so he settled on asking her merely for a successful ending to their current quest. To Tulkas he prayed for the strength to return to the warrior he once was, for the power and strength to help his friends unlike the dark figure had prophesied he would.

And finally, coming to the end of his prayers he renewed his attention to the stars above him and addressed his final prayer to the King and Queen of the Valar . "Aran Einior, Elbereth Gilthoniel, may you bless us all as we continue on our road towards this new darkness. May your strength flow through our veins as we battle the forces of evil. May your light shine down upon us, breaking away the darkness and unveil to us the plans of our enemy. And may you grant me strength to battle my nightmares and the wisdom to understand what they warn me off"

The stars above him offered Legolas no answers, but they gave him solace. It was as if the Lady Elbereth herself was looking down upon him, waiting for him to take answers in his grasp that were laying right in front of him. But she would not answer him and guide the elf towards them.

Legolas lowered his head back down and gazed over the darkness that had now swallowed the lands whole. "I guess I am on my own" he sighed.

"Nay mellon nin, you are not on your own in this world"

A deep voice startled the elf, "Ai, Estel, do not creep up on me like that"

Aragorn smiled at the elf "I am sorry Legolas, I was not aware my silenced walk would deceive an elf like yourself."

Legolas reprimanded himself, once again he had been caught off guard sinking into his thoughts. He was lucky it was only Aragorn coming to relieve him of his guard duty and not someone meaning to cause them harm.

"You need not relief me of my duty just yet Aragorn, I do not desire sleep. You should return to your bed and get some more rest."

"Legolas" the king started gravely "I have not seen you sleep ever since we left Rivendell. You may be of elven kind, but even your body will grow weary if you do not rest. None of us can afford to falter during our quest, least of all you"

Aragorn had meant to protect the elf, to somehow let him know he was important to him. He worried for Legolas, something was visibly amiss with him and the man wished to know more of the elf's mind. But his message had not come across the way Aragorn had intended it.

'_You will not be of any aid to your dear friends, they too will be at my mercy in time.' _Aragorn's words has instantly reminded Legolas of what the dark figure had prophesied. 'Estel is right, I cannot falter, I should not. If I do in moments like these... my friends, my love... If I fail them, they will all come to perish before the dark wizard'

"Legolas?" a kind concerned voice and a hand upon his shoulder broke the elf's train of thought.

"Forgive me Aragorn, my thoughts seem to have a strong hold upon me. I will not falter, you need not worry, I will not fail you and our fellowship."

"Ah Legolas, I fear you may have misunderstood my words. I know you would never fail us, it is not in your nature to fail those that count on you. You have never fallen short for as long as I have known you"

Legolas shook his head "You are mistaken, I _have_ failed"

Aragorn moved his hand from the elf's shoulder and put it upon Legolas' hands, which were holding each other in his lap. "Listen to me" he started, making sure not to continue until Legolas had returned his gaze. "You _did not _fail Lea, you were overcome by forces that outmatched you. I know you, I know you to have fought till your last breath for yourself and especially for her. You _did not _fail her."

Aragorn's words spoke the truth, he had truly tried to the best of his abilities once they had been caught, but he could not help feeling that he had failed her. After all, if he had carried enough wisdom not to go so near Dol Guldur it would have never happened. "But I.."

"No" Aragorn's other hand now moved towards Legolas' own and the ranger's large rough hands now enveloped the elf's completely. As if they were a protective shield around them, keeping them warm and safe. "You _did not_ fail her" he repeated again.

The man's gaze held him steadily, not demanding for him to submit, but with concern and kindness, offering comfort. And that they did, the man's grey eyes always gave him comfort. The warmth enveloping his hands made the elf ache for more, waiting for him to spill all his doubt and fears to the man and he would cure them all. But he could not, no matter how much he wanted to tell Aragorn all that held his heart, how _he_ held his heart, he could not.

Aragorn looked deep into Legolas' eyes as he had been yearning for. But in them he did not find the things he usually did, in them he no longer found the bright spirit that always held them. It tugged at his heart, the elf before him was changed and he had not the power to aid him. Gandalf had let the man know he had the ability to ease Legolas' burden, but he had not the slightest idea on how to penetrate the barriers surrounding the elf. The wizard was sorely mistaken if he thought Aragorn held the key to Legolas' heart.

The man held on tightly to the hands cupped within his, savoring the warmth from them and the feeling in his chest. He hoped that if Legolas could somehow feel just the smallest bit of what he felt inside him, the elf would open up to him. Then he would know what importance he held in the king's heart. He did not know in what other way to reach out to Legolas but with his own heart.

Silently cursing he wished he had the ability to convey his feelings into words. That they somehow would convince the elf to let him in. But unlike to the elves, words did not come so easily to men. They did not flawlessly fall from their lips into songs and hymns, expressing to everyone who would hear the words how they felt.

Suddenly Legolas tore his hands from Aragorn's grasp and whatever foothold the man hoped he had built in Legolas' heart, was now crumbled and unreachable. Momentarily stunned the king of men looked at his empty hands, now cold and alone. He had failed him and the man was lost at what to do.

Uneasy Legolas shifted on the rock he was sitting on. How close he had come to give in to the man and do something that would have forever wrecked their friendship. His heart beat loudly in his chest, so loud he was sure it was audible to the man beside him.

His barriers had not come undone, but he figured he owed the man some sort of explanation for his strange behavior.

"My dreams haunt me and I cannot find peace in my heart, nor mind. As we draw closer to Isengard I feel darkness overcome my soul and cloud my thoughts. I do not know what to think of it."

Suddenly the elf's voice caught in his throat and a small cough erupted from his lips. Instantly it had drawn the attention of the ranger beside Legolas. "Are you alright?"

Legolas waved away the concern with one hand and he cleared his throat, "Nothing Aragorn, just a dry throat from the wind I fear" he lied.

Without hesitation the man offered him his water skin and gently Legolas took a sip from it, hoping Aragorn had not noticed his lie. Even the elf himself did not know what exactly had happened, but from one moment to the next his chest had started burning and a cough had forced its way out.

Legolas handed the water skin back to Aragorn, but before he took it from the prince, his hand lingered. "I worry for your safety Legolas. I do not know what strength lies within me, but I will always do what I can to aid you. I wish you would not shut me out and trust me like you once did, but I will always be here none the less" Aragorn pleaded with the elf one last time to open up to him.

Legolas was caught off guard by the earnest words and within seconds he was torn in two. Thoughts and feelings that seemed to wage war within the elf left him without words. And when the man turned to leave his side he could do nothing but watch him descend back to the camp. He watched the man tend to the fire, his mouth still open, as if the right words would come to him within moments and fall from his lips. But they did not come to him and no matter how much he wished to call the ranger back to him, he could not find a plausible reason to do so, not one he could explain to Aragorn at least.

"Aragorn, I...I'm so sorry" he whispered.

But the man was out of earshot now and Legolas had wasted his moment debating within himself what was the correct course of action.

Disappointed Aragorn had retreated back to camp, partially sad and partially angry at the stubbornness of the elf. 'Sometimes, I swear to Eru, he is more stubborn than a dwarf" Aragorn mumbled to himself as he picked up another piece of wood before throwing it upon the fire.

"Gandalf was mistaken, if anyone has the ability to help Legolas carry any burden he has, it is surely not me. The Valar forbid he would even remotely show any weakness at all." Another piece of wood violently landed on the fire.

Atop the hill Legolas still gazed upon the king's figure down below. How he yearned for the man to be back up there with him. Conflicted still between heart and reason Legolas tore his gaze from the man. It tormented him knowing he had perhaps missed his chance to tell the man how he truly felt. Perhaps his destiny was not be alone and the Valar had answered his prayers granting him Aragorn. How foolish had he been to pass up the opportunity to find out what opening up to the man could have led to.

'What ridiculous thoughts, the man was merely being a good friend. An honorable man looking out for his friend who is troubled by ridiculous thoughts' Legolas reprimanded himself.

He needed clarity, he needed to sort out his feelings and be resolute. It was twice now that he had failed to notice the man coming close to him. Not only did that make him the worst watch for his friends, but it only caused him to be caught off guard with the feelings for the man. 'This can no longer proceed' Legolas was convicted, next time it could lead to much worse things. He would have to apologize to the man later, for being so distant. For now the elf would try an ancient remedy to troubled minds that lacked focus.

Pulling himself up the flat surface of the rock, Legolas sat, legs crossed. He closed his eyes and tried with all his might to banish all thoughts from his mind. Breathing in slowly he felt the cold night air flow from his nostrils into his lungs and back out his mouth. He focused on the breathing as his body relaxed.

Still sitting up straight, taking deep breaths the elf found it easier not to be seduced by any of his previous thoughts. He felt at peace, listening to the wind rustle the leaves of the woods behind him and faraway nocturnal birds flap their wings against the dark sky. He could hear Aragorn mutter curses and complain, but it only distracted him back to where he could not go. He had to let go of that now, so he blocked the sounds and focused on the other sounds of the night.

With his unrivaled elvish hearing, he could hear the sounds of nature from miles beyond him. It comforted him and as he sank into the thoughts and his meditation he swore he could almost hear the stars twinkle above him. He felt at one with nature, truly at peace.

'So far so good'

With one deep breath he turned his focus inwards, exploring his own mind with calm and peace. As if he were a foreigner in his own mind, studying the crevices with care, repairing the broken barriers and closing doors that had been left opened.

As Legolas wandered deeper within his soul, he came to an awful realization that there was something amiss. Legolas' brow drew together in worry and fear as he frantically searched for something within him that he always knew to be there. But all he found was darkness where there once had been a bright shining light. The light that had guided him through dark times, the light he had carried in his soul all his life.

Suddenly nauseous and disoriented Legolas' eyes shot back open and he nearly tumbled off the rock he was positioned on. Panting and distraught he caught himself and in a panic his eyes took in his surroundings.

'What happened to the light? Was it all washed away? Was this part of fading? Is there no hope left for me?' Within seconds the elf was once again filled with questions he had no answer to and then he heard a malicious voice in his mind.

Poisonous laughter could be heard inside his mind. 'Legolas, I have reclaimed what is mine. Elvish light... the light of a prince, 'tis mine'

It took the prince only seconds to realize he had been a fool. All this time he had dismissed his dreams as nothing more as just that. And all the while the dark wizard had spread it's paralyzing poison within him. It had stolen his light right from under him and he had been so busy denying it to be reality, he was now robbed of his most precious possession.

'Come and reclaim it if you wish my prince. I await you in Isengard, within the tower of Orthanc. but if I were you I would not take the time." the obviously content voice trailed off with malicious laughter.

With a shock surging through his body it left Legolas back with full awareness upon Middle Earth with his horrible revelation. He gasped for air, overwhelmed by a hundred different feelings at once. Never had he expected to find what he did, but now he knew. The Valar had indeed answered his prayers and given him the answer he was searching for.

'By the Valar, what am I to do now? To Isengard... it said, it challenged me to retrieve my light, is there still hope?'

Legolas felt himself flooded with cold and darkness from the inside out and realized what would befall him would he not reach Isengard in time. Tears stung his eyes, 'Is this what is to become of me? Fade without even a choice? Fade without even the smallest of chance at happiness and love?'

His eyes fell upon the man sitting next to the campfire down below. Fading was not without consequence and it was not a pleasant path to take. But when an elf chooses to fade, the consequences are less dire, since he would not fear or fight them. Simply accept them and wait for their soul to pass to the Halls of Mandos. If they chose to fight back, the process would be reversed and they would return to Middle Earth. Though this had never been recorded to happen, fading was not a choice elves took lightly like some men chose to take their own lives in an act of desperation.

Long ago Legolas had learned of a forced fading. Ancient scrolls had taught him of wizard and necromancer's ability to steal one's light. The stages were not much different from a chosen fading, but had much more longevity.

''When a soul's light has been forcibly taken from an elf, a tragedy ensues. What once was, will no longer be as the natural elven abilities will all be stripped one by one. The elf will lose all that makes him elf and left a naked mortal form succumbing to illness and darkness. Mortality, natural healing, the remarkable thermoregulation, eyesight, hearing, flawless features, all elven natural abilities are threatened to fade quickly. Which and how differs per victim, the records state some held out for as long as 25 days, others faded within half that time.'

Legolas shuddered at the thought, it had been 5 days since that dreadful night in Rivendell already. If he were to reach Isengard before he succumbed to his currently ailment he would have to last much longer as the recorded elven warriors.

'It had been Morgoth himself casting this spell upon the elves of old, perhaps now it will not be as grievous a wound.' Legolas consoled himself with the idea that even with many more days left on their journey, he had a chance of making it.

Legolas briefly wondered how this wizard had come to know of this spell. Obviously it had been taught well under Saruman and had knowledge of things he never dared dream. The scrolls holding the secret to this spell were all safely locked away under Lord Elrond's care. None could have accessed them and for the safety of their kind only elves of royal blood knew of its existence. Clearly they had underestimated it, somehow, someway the knowledge had passed on to Saruman and his pupil.

Gazing back up the stars Legolas blinked away his tears, this was not the time to grieve. An evil seed had been planted within him and had now taken root, his fading was imminent and tears or any other form of grieving would not slow down its growth. He had but once chance to retrieve his light and he would take it with both hands.

In pure darkness the elf found what he had been looking for, clarity and resoluteness. It was odd that he did not find this until things were at their most grim, but it was just what Legolas needed to hold on to now that there was little else left.

"I am a strong warrior of Mirkwood, prince and proud son of Thranduil, I will overcome this" he vowed silently to himself.

The stars seemed to respond to the elf and it seemed to Legolas that if only for a moment they shone brighter, proud and strong. "Elbereth, under your blessing and guidance I shall not falter".

"Still praying to the stars?"

Legolas turned and saw Aragorn climb back up the hill, seemingly calmed down much more.

"Aragorn, I.."

"It is alright" the man interjected, "perhaps the Valar can help where I cannot" The ranger sounded pained as he spoke the words.

"I came to relieve you of your watch duty, I have little care for what other objections you furthermore have. For everyone's safety you should get at least a few hours of sleep"

Aragorn perched himself on the rock Legolas sat on, immovable and not to be argued with. "If you do not mind Estel, I would much rather sit in your presence for a little while"

The man was caught off guard by the calm and honest words. "I... of course." Aragorn turned to gaze upon the fair elf next to him, who was seemingly oblivious to his stares. There was something different, he seemed to have found the peace he was looking for, yet there was still... Aragorn could not quite understand what it was, but the Legolas standing next to him was not the elf he had run alongside with through the fields of Rohan so many years ago, nor the elf he had spoken to earlier that night. It was like he was both more troubled and less troubled at the same time. In any case he was less distant and it pleased the man greatly.

'Should I attempt again to see what lies within the elf's soul, of the feelings he is so determined to hide from me?" Aragorn wondered to himself.

"I know eyes of men are not accustomed to darkness and cannot gaze upon beauties far and wide like mine, but am I really more interesting than the remarkable lands around us and the stars high up in the sky?"

Stunned and unable to find the words to respond to the sudden question Aragorn stammered "I...I was ehm...just eh."

"At a loss for words my friend?" Legolas smiled.

"I was just wondering if you were alright, you seem different as before" Finally the words had come to him and he decided to tell the elf what was on his mind.

Legolas' features changed and Aragorn feared he had cut the wrong subject again, whatever had brought down the barriers was now gone and they came back up. "I fear my emotions had gotten the best of me before. There were many things bothering me, but I have laid them all to rest and decided to look forward rather as back. A quest of great importance lies before us and it is of great importance we bring it to a good end."

Legolas spoke honestly, if only the ranger beside him had any idea of how much importance it really was. But the elf decided not to share, no one needed another burden upon their shoulders. They were heading for Isengard to keep themselves and Middle Earth from harm, the quest before them would not change if he was to share his secret. It was not lost on Aragorn that Legolas still kept something from him, that the elf was still guarding himself.

"You speak the truth, but I care for you Legolas. Beyond this quest and its great importance, I wish to know what goes on inside you."

It seemed to only have the opposite effect the ranger intended as the elf straightened his posture and took a deep breath. "I am fine Estel"

Anger boiled back up inside the man upon hearing the same words he had heard a thousand times. How could his longtime friend be so annoyingly stubborn! "You are not fine Legolas. I see it about you, no matter how you wish to hide it from me" Aragorn stood up and tried to contain his anger.

"You...you keep yourself from everyone, you keep yourself from _me_! Me, who has been by your side through thick and thin. Me, who has held your hand when your body was nearly irreparable. Me, who..."

The man clenched his fist as he caught himself in his words who had grown full with emotion invoked by the stubborn elf. Legolas looked at him wide-eyed, suddenly being made aware he had caused the ranger anguish with his actions.

"You are my friend! I have bared all my emotions before you when Arwen passed, letting you heal my heart and now you retreat yourself from me when I can return the kindness. You are the most frustrating elf I have ever met! And whatever I do to try to reach you, only causes you to retreat from me further! I try and I try and you just keep pushing me away!"

No longer did Aragorn care for the lies that covered up a truth still unknown to him. He was tired of it and no matter how much he had tried to tie down his anger and frustrations, they had now unleashed and were flying towards the elf in form of angered words.

"Aragorn, I... you don't..."

"I don't? I don't what?! I don't make a good friend to you? I don't deserve to know what goes on inside you?!"

"No, no it's not that Estel! I care for you greatly, you are the one closest to my heart, I..."

"Oh is that so? Well you have an odd way of showing this to me, withholding any emotion from me and regarding me as a man who used to be your friend. You keep me at bay and if you wish no longer to have me in your life, you need but say it and I'll be gone straight after we finish the task at hand. I'll retreat and you won't have to bother pretending to be nice to me!" The man kept on ranting, carried by emotions that had clearly run through him for a while now.

Legolas cringed at the words, He couldn't believe how frustrated the man had gotten with him. The things Aragorn was saying were slowly gnawing away at the elf's patience, the man had no idea what he was talking about. It was all he could do not to yell back at the man until Aragorn mentioned how he clearly meant nothing to Legolas.

"Damn it Estel, you don't get it do you!"

The elf's sudden outburst instantly silenced Aragorn, who was caught mid-sentence. He stopped pacing and looked at the elf with his mouth half open. Legolas could no longer keep silent and now it was his turn to let his emotions flow into his own rants. He slid down from the rock he was sitting on now stood his ground before the man.

"I love you, you insufferable man! I can't stand to be around you for fear I might falter and give in to the urge to hold you and kiss you! You are the most undeniable man I have ever met and I..."

Within seconds Aragorn had closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to Legolas'. Surprised by the forceful kiss upon him Legolas staggered back, but soon found his back pressed against the large rock they were sitting on moments before. It didn't take him long to sink into the pleasant feeling and return the kiss.

All the frustrations they had both felt with one another poured into a passionate kiss. Neither faltered under the strength of the other and time was lost upon them. Thoughts faded away and made place for a sensation neither had ever felt before. It was by force of nature that the kiss had to be broken, both gasping for air.

A little stunned at his own actions Aragorn gazed upon Legolas. He had not realized what feelings he carried for the elf. When Legolas had finally opened up to him and said that he loved him, Aragorn could no longer deny it. It was as if the words themselves had unlocked a door in his heart that had barred away everything he felt for the elf.

'I kissed him, I just... I kissed an elf, a male elf! Legolas said he loved me, but I couldn't possibly... I don't, I mean it's Legolas, I...'

Aragorn thoughts swirled through him, his brain denying with what his heart was overflowing him with and Legolas could almost read his inward struggle word for word.

"You don't have to apologize Aragorn, it was a mistake" Legolas spoke as he turned his face away, no longer wanting to see what he saw in the man's eyes. Pained the elf tried to move away, still being pinned between the rock and the man's body. Aragorn was not budging and Legolas was about to pull away with more force when a rough hand turned his face back to Aragorn's, stopping him from moving away.

Legolas' eyes rested on the man's chest, not daring to look up. Aragorn waited patiently, his arms now on either side of the elf, essentially imprisoning him within his embrace. Legolas felt himself tremble, it was nerve-wracking to be so close to the object of his desire and at the same time know it was all for naught. He could feel Aragorn's heart beat against his chest and his warm breath upon his face, making it all the more difficult for Legolas to contain himself. Legolas did not know what to make of it, he was sure what he read in Aragorn's eyes had been regret and doubt.

Aragorn held him close to him, confused and uncertain, but the one thing he knew was if he let the elf slip away now he would never know. He had to know what to do with these feelings surging through him. He had to find out, and once more the man indulged his heart, effectively silencing all the thoughts rushing through his mind. He tilted his head sideways and bend now slightly to once again catch the elf's lips.

This time the kiss was soft and tender as the man pressed himself a little more against the elf. He wrapped his arms around the slender body before him and drew him deeper into the kiss. Legolas could not fight the man, he had no choice but to give in and enjoy the gift bestowed upon him. Even if it meant it would just be this one more moment, Legolas vowed he would forever cherish it.

One kiss turned into another and another as time passed by. With every time their lips returned to each other, Aragorn became more sure he did not ever want to stop kissing the elf. There was no denying his heart anymore when Legolas returned one of his kisses with a gentle lick against his lower lip. Slightly parting his own lips the kiss became even deeper and soon neither felt like they were still upon Middle Earth.

Lightheaded and once more in lack of air Aragorn broke the kiss. The man leaned his brow against Legolas as he drew the cold air into his lungs. "I love you too" he whispered back.

Legolas pulled his head back and sought the ranger's eyes in complete disbelief. He didn't believe the words the man had just spoken to him. In all his dreams he could have never believed his feelings would ever be returned to him. Clearly Aragorn was not thinking straight, men did not love other men, it was unheard of in the kingdom of Gondor! And for their king to now exclaim his love for an ellon, he did not believe his ears. "You...you do?"

"I do" Aragorn smiled warmly upon the elf, holding him by the shoulders, reassuring him with gentle squeezes.

The prince smiled, not knowing whether to thank the man before him or to try and warn him off all the adversity they were to face if they were to continue their love. For now, he decided to just savor the moment. After all these years the man loved him back!

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_A/N Originally this chapter had another event afterwards, which I will be incorporating into the next chapter. This just felt like a nice end to a chapter. None the less doubled the size of this chapter and more :) __**Review please!**__ (Yes, still, I am saying please you know ^^)_


	6. A Blade in the Dark (rewrite)

_A/N Well, now comes the formally incredibly short chapter, I hope the extended version will be good ^^ Let me know and review. I'm not the greatest at writing action-scenes, but I will do my best :)_

_Thanks to my faithful reviewer "Dan" and also "Guest", Madsy and Romi-Pink. Glad that you all enjoyed it and Romi, I'll tend to Shattered Heart when I'm done with rewriting this one, hope you check back in to see these revised chapters and let me know if you think they improved. (Which I sincerely hope they did so far ^^)_

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**5. A Blade in the Dark**

It had been a very eventful night for the elven prince, remarkable in many ways. He had experienced despair, travelling to depths even he did not see before and then soared to heights he had not dared to see in his dreams. If anything had been an emotional rollercoaster, it had been that night and Legolas knew he would never forget it.

For the remainder of the night Aragorn and Legolas had spend it together. No matter the ushering of the man, Legolas would not retreat to the camp to catch a few hours of sleep. Nothing could have dragged him away from the warmth of _his_ Aragorn that night and Legolas wished that night did not ever end. Of course such wishing was foolish and even the prince of Mirkwood could not halt dawn from coming.

Aragorn and Legolas watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon together. Aragorn had his left arm draped across the elf's shoulders as they sat against the large rock. Their heads were leaning together to the side, their temples touching, the other hand of the man holding Legolas' hand tenderly.

For Aragorn it had been a remarkable night as well, never did he think he would end up like this. Still his mind held many doubts on how to go from there, but his heart had assured him this was right. It felt right to hold the elf, to kiss him and know he would be by his side always. Aragorn let out an inward sigh as his thoughts returned to the ordeal.

'Men do not condone of this, everyone at Gondor, none will accept it. For their king to share his life with an ellon... It took many of them and my council enough to accept an elf to the kingdom as my wife, let alone this... How am I to explain this to everyone? Perhaps I'll abandon the throne, leave it in the hands of Faramir and travel far away with Legolas. We'll travel through Middle Earth, adventuring and build our own house somewhere where our love will be accepted.'

His stomach churned, soon day would be upon them and life continued. Their amazing night together had ended and now they had to face the world and all of its judgment. Aragorn's gaze fell on their interlocking fingers 'I'll leave it all for him, I'll abandon everything if it means I can forever hold him close like this'

"We should wake the others, the sun will be upon us soon and we should be on our way" Legolas spoke. No matter how much he wished the night would not end, he knew it was of great importance that they were going to be on their way soon.

'The irony of it all, the evening I find out I might perish to ancient spells inflicting darkness upon me I find what my heart has been yearning for, for years. I finally have the love I desired, only to know it may only last for weeks.' His heart fell at the thought as he watched Aragorn release his hold upon him.

"I wish the night did not have to end, but you are right"

"If only it did not Estel, but we have a quest to focus upon"

"You always did take your duties seriously" Aragorn smiled as he got to his feet. "We will have to put this on hold and return our attention to the threat in the south."

He offered the elf a hand and Legolas graciously took it, once on his feet Aragorn did not release the elf's hand. "After all, we have all the time in the world to enjoy each other when this is over" Quickly he planted a kiss upon the elf, smiling a most sincere smile, before he let go of Legolas and descended down the hill.

'Oh Estel, our time together may be shorter as you believe. I would tell you, but I cannot bear to break your heart now.'

Aragorn's warmth had left Legolas and left him with an empty feeling. Aches and cold nagged at him from the dark shadow that grew in his chest. When next to the man he had nearly forgotten the dread that had befallen him. The darkness inside him had faded away and made place for warmth the elf had not yet known. Now that he was alone again on the hill it all came rushing back to him.

The elf had known cold, when guarding his home in the harsh winters in the north of Mirkwood, the elf had known cold. He knew how to distinguish it and how it felt, even elves in the harshest winters had to make sure they dressed warm. Though not befalling with illness, even their slender limbs could become stiff and painful. When breathing in icy air the elf had known cold, but he had never experienced it like this. Now he _was_ cold, a feeling uncomfortable and unshakable. Aragorn had kept it at bay with his presence and warmth, but now that Legolas was by himself once again it became undeniable.

He had seen men, women and children of many races fall to the cold, he had seen the hobbits shiver terribly when they had attempted to cross Caradhras 6 years ago. He had never understood the feeling, since he was unaffected by it, but now he did. Legolas sighed to himself, 'I cannot let this slow me down, whatever happens, happens. The Valar protect me as I face this, give me the strength to endure and overcome. I'll fight with all I have left inside me! I will fight for my friends, I will fight for my kin, I will fight for Middle Earth, but especially, I will fight for Estel, to be by his side until he travels to the halls of Mandos.'

Legolas smiled to himself, watching Aragorn below rouse their companions. 'For him, I will fight this till my dying breath.' He mustered his courage and strength and with head held high descended down the hill to the camp.

The early morning air was still chilly so Aragorn made sure their campfire continued burning strong. The hobbits sat close around it, munching on some apples and pears that they had found on the way.

Legolas sat himself down next to Gimli, who was just patiently waiting for the company to get to their feet and be on the way once more. He felt better now, perhaps not physically, but he felt more resolute as before. The Valar had given him reason to fight, something to fight to retrieve and someone to fight for.

"Good morning Gimli, hope you had a fair night's rest"

"Pah, dwarves don't need rest! We walked days and nights straight when we were driven from our homes. I could have gone on all the way to Isengard with little rest!"

The dwarf liked to boast of the sturdiness of his race, especially to Legolas. Always pointing out the flaws of the elves and how dwarves could do much better in almost every scenario. Despite that they were good friends, it was a old habit that died hard.

"Did you get any rest yourself elf?"

"I did not desire sleep, the death of my friend is still fresh in my heart. I pray he has journeyed safely to the halls of Mandos"

"He has died an honorable death and fulfilled his duty well, I am sure he fairs well" Gimli spoke earnestly, he had little love for elves besides Legolas and the Lady Galadriel, but the elven scout had done them a great favor by warning them.

Gimli climbed to his feet with the support of his axe and clasped the elf on the shoulder before he walked off to check whatever foods were left in the packs. "You be sure to get some rest tonight, when we fall into battle I wish to beat you without a unfair advantage. People might say I only win because you are weary!"

Legolas smiled at the dwarf, no matter how much effort he put into hiding his feelings, Legolas knew he cared greatly. He briefly wondered how bewildered the dwarf would be when he heard his most trusted friends had become lovers. The dwarf would probably end their friendship with him immediately, among dwarves it was even more unbefitting as men.

The prince still could not quite wrap his mind around it, it seemed to him now that everything that happened last night could have just been one blissful dream. 'And perhaps that should be the extent of it' Legolas mused. His eyes wandered over his companions, the hobbits were quietly attending to their breakfast, some still drowsy from the sleep and others already starting on planning second breakfast. Gimli had perched himself next to the packs, nibbling on some dry leftover meat from the night before. And across from him on the other side of the fire Aragorn sat besides Gandalf, apparently deep in conversation. He wanted desperately to know if he was telling the wizard of what had happened the night before, but Legolas had learned long ago, through many reprimands of his father, that eaves dropping was not becoming of a prince of Mirkwood.

He kept his gaze on the man, who was not showing much in his expressions. He was far too far away for his taste and wished that he could just walk over and hold the man close again. 'I wonder what Estel meant when he said for us to 'put this on hold'. Am I to hide my feelings for you for everyone? Or just not act on them at all during our journey? Ai Elbereth, what will become of us?'

Legolas' thoughts drew darker, overwhelmed with all the adversity that would lay before them, all the mountains of problems they would have to scale to be together. That is, if they even had a life together at all. It was all he could do not to start pacing about when Aragorn glanced his way. It was as if the world stopped for them and over the smoldering fire he could see a kind loving look in Aragorn eyes. The man smiled briefly, a smile just for him, before returning to the conversation with Gandalf. Whatever fears had held Legolas' heart were all but gone and the elf felt calmer.

"The Dagri'nul are indeed a threat to us. Orcs and Uruk-hai hunt in masses and try to overcome their enemy with numbers. All of them expendable under the dark lord's whim, but the Dagri'nul are few in numbers and we know little of our new enemy. They may find ways to outsmart us and overcome us in other ways." Gandalf discussed with Aragorn. He cast his eyes on the elf on the other side of the fire, talking to the dwarf.

"You have had a talk with him tonight am I correct?"

Aragorn nodded silently.

"And have you found the nature of his distractions?"

The man swallowed, not quite sure what to say to the wizard. He had honestly stopped trying to interrogate the elf after they had admitted their feelings to each other. So swallowed up by his own emotions, he had forgotten to ask further.

"I talked to him Gandalf, but he did not let go of what troubles him. When I came back later to insist he would get some rest and try once more, he seemed more resolute. I know the grief of Lea and some other troubling thoughts and feelings were weighing heavily upon his shoulders, but I think he found a way to carry the burden."

"Hmmmhmmm, troubling thoughts and feelings. And this is all that you have found out tonight?"

It was as if the old Istari looked right through him, as if he were completely transparent. Gandalf had been a friend to Aragorn for a very long time and it had never been any different. Aragorn was used to being hard to read to almost everyone he knew, no matter what held his mind or heart, few could ever figure it out. But Gandalf, no to Gandalf he was an open book, whether he wanted to or not.

"I..." 'What am I to say now? Am I to reveal what I feel for Legolas to Gandalf? I don't even know if Legolas wishes to share this secret, I can't just decide for him."

"I know of your love for him Aragorn"

The wizard had lowered his voice, making sure only Aragorn would hear. But despite the lack of volume it still hit Aragorn completely by surprise.

"And I know of his love for you for many years"

Dumbfounded the ranger scrambled for words, but they would not come to him. For a few moments he just sat there, wide-eyed staring at the wizard.

"And I do not look down upon it Elessar. When a love is true and strong, it matters not to me what bodies their souls possess. True love is something to be cherished, no matter if it is between two men, or a man and an ellon in this particular case"

Relief washed over Aragorn, at least the first person that was aware of their relationship was not one to cast judgment. "I am relieved to hear you say that Gandalf, I was weary and fear much opposition. It eases my heart to know I do not have to defend myself against you as well"

It was then that it dawned upon Aragorn, this had all happened with gentle ushering of the white wizard. Of course he had known!

"It was you who said I held the way to his heart. I was because of what you said I dared to push harder against his barriers. And it was then because of you that he revealed his heart to me, I thank you Gandalf."

Gandalf smiled knowingly, a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

"Wait, you said you knew of his love for me for many years? When did he tell you?"

"He did not have to speak to me of his love for you. He is as apparent to read as you are. When I visited you shortly after Arwen's passing I saw it first in his eyes. His heart was not only grieving for her, but for you, to see you in such pain. He has carried this around for a long time Aragorn, I am glad you two finally found each other."

Aragorn turned his head away from Gandalf and glanced over to Legolas at the other side of the campfire. He noticed the elf had been gazing at him as well and he sent him a warm smile.

"I do love him" he mumbled to the wizard, before returning his eyes back to him.

"It is perhaps because of this that you worry too much for his sake. With you to share his burden with I am sure his heart will heal soon. Be careful you do not act too overprotective toward him in your love Aragorn, he will not appreciate it. You know the prince, he has his pride."

Gandalf spoke wisely, he had known Legolas for many more years as he had known Aragorn. Ever since the prince was but an elfling had he been extraordinary solemn in his emotions. He was raised under his father's care to be a proud strong warrior of Mirkwood and it had only encouraged him to keep his feelings to himself over the many years.

"Your words are wise Mithrandir, but I cannot shake the feeling that something else is amiss with Legolas... But perhaps you are right and I should cast my worry aside, there is enough laying upon his shoulders, I would not want to add upon it."

Gandalf patted the ranger on the knee, "If he has problems that he cannot face alone, be comforted knowing you are the first he would turn to."

"Hmm! I think our companions are about done stuffing their mouths and we can be on our way!" Gandalf exclaimed somewhat more loudly, making sure the small four of the company would hear him.

"Alright alright, we're ready to go. Honestly Gandalf, you do not know of what great importance a good meal is to a hobbit!" Frodo responded.

"Oh trust me I do, you forget I travelled far and wide with your uncle Bilbo"

Frodo and the other hobbits laughed at that, Bilbo was known to always have his pantry stocked with an endless amount of food, beverages and cakes.

"We have to hold this course for 40 long days, less if we are quick in our pace" he spoke, gazing towards the road before us while leaning on his staff. "We best be on our way."

Everyone got to their feet after dousing the campfire. Legolas shivered, not only of the cold within him, but even more so because of the thought of 40 long days on the road. The elf knew of the recorded tales, of strong elven warriors only lasting 14 to 25 days without their light. He had to last almost double that and it was a task even he was not sure was accomplishable.

'I have little choice, Isengard will most certainly not come to me. If it takes us 40 days to reach it, then I will last that. A little cold, coughs and weariness will not hold me down, I will push past and fulfill my task'

* * *

Aragorn and Gandalf led the group, followed closely by the hobbits and Gimli, with Legolas at the back. They had walked for a long time, closing the distance between themselves and the Isengard with quick pace. Unlike at the beginning of the War of the Ring all were used to travelling now and it required less stops and they made very good time.

Aragorn and Gandalf decided which paths to take to cross the vast distance, as there was no road to travel by. Their route lay straight to the south from Rivendell, along the Misty Mountains until they would reach the gap of Rohan. After crossing the river Isen they would be close to their destination. It was opted to follow the Loudwater river south and take the Old South Road towards Isengard, but it was decided it was a longer road and perhaps even unsafe. Various brush and land now held their quest a secret and at least they would be much harder to find, rather as on open road.

Legolas was glad for the decision, whatever time they could save was a blessing for him now. It pleased him greatly to know they were making good time towards Isengard and whatever troubles lay on him were soon lighter. It was now the 7th day of their travel and they had been on their feet for a good portion of the week.

'Perhaps with this pace we will reach Isengard in 30 to 35 days, given no troubles will befall us furthermore. I can manage that, I can do 30-35 days. My father's blood runs in my veins, long have I been trained in the ways of war and endurance, I can do this.'

But it also had a toll on the elf, one he had not encountered before. The fast pace was easing his mind as much as it was burdening his body. Weariness crept into his bones as they continued walking and his feet ached for rest. Soon the sun would set and he knew their wishes would be granted. He was not the only one weary, it shone clearly on the faces of the hobbits and Legolas figured they would beg for rest any moment now.

"Gandalf, my feet, my stomach, my mouth... I need rest, supper, dinner, _food_!" Pippin whined to the leader of the group.

"Yes Gandalf, the sun is nearly setting, can we not stop and make us another nice dinner?" Sam backed up the younger hobbit.

"We have made good time today, on a full belly we'll be able to continue the same tomorrow" Merry claimed, hoping reason would persuade the white wizard.

"What they said, I rest my case. Can we now sto-op please"

Gandalf cast a look to Aragorn, who nodded in agreement, after resting his eyes over his companions one by one. His eye lingered on the elf in the back and it instantly made up Aragorn's mind. "I think we can all do with some good rest tonight. Unwearied we will be able to make much better time in the long run. The sun will set in a few hours and we can use the light to hunt ourselves a good meal for the evening".

Gandalf gave in after hearing the ranger's decision and pointed to the east, "We will make camp over there, it is but a 10 minute walk. The outcropping of rock will give us shelter for the night and the thick brush provide with wood for a campfire.

"I will head towards the west" Legolas spoke from the back of the group "I see some deer in the distance I think will make for a good meal able to satisfy even our little hobbits."

"I will join you, four eyes and two bows make for double chances" Aragorn spoke before the elf was off.

"As if Legolas' arrows ever miss their mark" Merry chuckled.

Aragorn pretended not to hear the hobbit and ran after Legolas, who had already headed towards his prey. The others did not object, deer for dinner made their mouths water and Legolas and Aragorn did happen to be the most experienced hunters in the group. What they did to supply the group with food would take the others twice or perhaps three times it took them. The hobbits therefore resigned to continually pick whatever edibles they found along the way and stock them in their packs.

Along the way Sam had come across a variety of herbs that seemed not only perfect for seasoning, but perhaps also for healing measures. He had run up to the front of the group many times asking Aragorn's opinion. Before long the ranger had taken Sam under his wing and had sent the hobbit to look out for herbs he knew grew along their road. He taught him the various uses and how one would prepare them to cure a number of common illnesses. Sam had been most excited to learn from Aragorn, knowing that one day his knowledge might save someone, or at least aid them in their pain.

The six headed for the campsite Gandalf had marked and started gathering materials for the campfire. The brush luckily was mostly dry and had a few small red berries, before sacrificing the branches to their campfire they were stripped bare of the fruits and stocked safely in a box in Sam's backpack.

Sam squinted his eyes as to identify what he saw in the distance "I think I see a shagbark in the distance, among those oak trees over there". Sam pointed north and soon all eyes were checking to what he had pointed.

"I think you might be right master Hobbit, that would provide excellent wood to create a spit. I'll go retrieve us some" Gimli hoisted his axe over his shoulder and made way to the small collection of tree along the base of the mountain.

"Wait for me! It might have nuts and if the tree is elderly the bark might have syrup. Not as sweet as maple syrup, mind you, but still very tasty to those that can appreciate it's bitter taste. And the nuts, hmmmm, I would know of various ways to apply those to the venison Legolas and Aragorn are bringing"

The hobbit nearly squealed in delight as he sped up his steps. Weariness had seemed to have left Sam with the prospects of a delicious meal.

"You speak as if you have a kitchen at your disposal, the meat itself should be plenty a good meal."

"Ah, but Gimli, you cannot possibly say that! With the right application of herbs, salt and perhaps some of these nuts, you will see the venison will taste three times as good!"

The hobbit had gone off running the last hundred meters towards the trees and Gimli watched him go, the dwarf felt there was no need to spend his energy running and climbing trees to retrieve irrelevant things.

Before long the two returned to camp, Gimli with three branches perfect for a spit to roast the venison on and Sam with a giant smile on his face.

"Guys, you never guess what I managed to get!"

"What? Show us!" Within seconds Frodo, Merry and Pippin had gathered at Sam who proudly showed the contents of his bag. It was filled with the hickory nuts, plenty to feed them all for a number of days.

"The tree held sap, I saw it seeping away when Gimli chopped a few branches. But unfortunately we do not have the time to extract it, nor the time to boil it into syrup" Sam was a little disappointed, he had tried his best to convince Gimli it was a tasteful treat, but now he did not get to sample it to the doubtful dwarf.

"Help me crack them for tonight's meal, we can roast them and add them to the venison"

Sam knew of so many recipes he wished to sample onto the difficult dwarf, fruits and vegetables and many more. He knew Gimli was nearly as hard to convince as it had been to convince Gollum that potatoes and stews were delicious. If he could just prepare the meals he was sure the dwarf would change his mind and urge him to make more of his famous recipes. Perhaps his food could travel far beyond the Shire and become a delicacy in the halls of men and dwarves!

'Ah such foolish thoughts, with the quest before us we hardly have the time, nor the equipment to tend to such meals. At least I can prepare the nuts with the meal, together with the herbs I found along the way, let's see Gimli decline that!' Sam thought, cheering himself back up.

* * *

Somewhere further west Aragorn and Legolas had gone off to hunt the deer. With the sun setting they had dared venture into the grassy field. Luckily for them both, they had many years of hunting behind them and shooting one of these deer would be only too easy. They crouched through the tall grass, their trusty dark green elven cloaks camouflaging them so well they became practically invisible.

They crawled up a small hill that overlooked the meadow, which gave them a perfect vantage point. The deer had yet to notice anything was watching them and grazed on peacefully. One of the larger females had wandered off slightly from the group, searching for fresher pastures and she had become the hunter's target. Quietly both Aragorn and Legolas had grabbed their bows and arrows, ready to shoot what would become their next meal. Apparently not quietly enough she stopped grazing and perked her ears up, her eyes keenly observing her surroundings. Legolas put his hand on Aragorn's arm and slowly inched the bow in the man's hand down to the grass, as not to give away their position. He then lifted his finger to his mouth, indicating to just lay there quietly. He knew if the deer caught wind of them they would bolt far away and any chance of a wholesome meal would be gone.

When the deer had decided the sounds she had heard were but creations of the wind she returned to her grazing. It was then that Legolas slowly got into a crouching position and notched his bow. Aragorn watched the elf in awe, the way the setting sun hit the elf from the front gave him a mesmerizing look. With the pose of the notched bow and the intense focus in the elf's eyes it became nearly irresistible for the man. It was then that he noticed a small glimmer of sweat on the elf's brow, a quite unusual sight. He did not have time to question it long, for seconds later the notched arrow flew towards the deer with amazing speed. Aragorn followed it as it flew effortlessly towards the deer. And then he noticed something yet more unusual, the arrow had missed its mark! It had hit the deer as intended, but not in its heart for a swift merciful kill, it had landed in its front leg as it was now trying to limp away with its friends. The others were far ahead as the injured deer tried her best to keep up, but it was to no avail, her front leg would not obey and kept buckling beneath her. Aragorn's eyes went from the wounded deer to Legolas, who sat surprised next to him, back to the deer. Within seconds Aragorn had notched his own arrow and finished off their prey, who now, as intended, fell limp to the ground.

"What was that?"

"I... I don't know, it...missed" Legolas seemed even more surprised as the man, normally his arrows landed flawlessly, exactly on their mark. He had not known them to do anything different but obey his keen aim and eye for as long as he had lived. And now he had missed, not by much, but for Legolas it was everything and he had stared at it as if it had been a cruel joke.

Aragorn stood and grabbed the elf by his shoulders, positioning himself in front of Legolas. "Are you alright?"

"I... 'Tis nothing to worry yourself about Aragorn, it has been a wearying few days. Perhaps you spoke the truth before when you wished I would get some sleep, I fear my body has gone too weary without it"

"You better get some rest tonight Legolas, no standing guard for you tonight at all."

"But, the Dagri'nul, if they..."

"No, listen to me" Aragorn interjected "You need rest, perhaps even more as you think you do. I know you want to watch over us and stand at the ready for the Dagri'nul, but I need you to rest. You have been standing guard nearly every night for far too many hours. Please, my heart would be greater at ease knowing you are well and rested."

Legolas could not deny the pleading look in the man's eyes, nor did any argument of 'not needing rest' had lost all its value in his current state. "For you, because I love you" Legolas smiled.

Aragorn kissed his elf quickly, smiling broadly. "You make me happy Legolas. Let's go retrieve the deer before some other predator takes off with it."

* * *

With the last light of the day left Aragorn and Legolas returned to camp with the deer draped over Aragorn's shoulders. The hobbits and Gimli cheered for their hunters, thanking them kindly for the dinner. After Aragorn had thrown the deer to the ground Sam and Frodo pushed both him and Legolas back against a fallen log.

"Sit, sit! We will take care of the rest, it will be a meal you won't forget, I promise! Just let us tend to the meat and you won't regret it, you two have done enough."

"Alright, alright, we won't interfere" Aragorn laughed. Obediently they sat down and smiled contently at the four hobbits hard at work. When it came to food they were in their element and it was quite a sight to see.

Aragorn looked to his right, where Legolas sat, also watching the four before them. Inconspicuously he let his hand slide off his lap, which now grazed against Legolas' upper right leg. A smile came over the elf's face as he moved his right leg closer to Aragorn's, almost touching their knees together before he also lowered his hand. Hidden out of sight the man and elf tenderly held each other's hand, sharing a moment invisible to the rest of the world.

When Gimli came to his feet grumbling his suggestions as how to tend to the meat were rudely discarded by the hobbits, he made his way towards the couple to strike up a conversation. Gandalf, with his observing eyes quickly intervened and led the dwarf back to the other side of the campfire.

"So son of Gloín, tell me of this quest you have laid out before you and your people. I hear you intend to head for Aglarond?" He put a hand on the dwarf's shoulder, ushering him away as he turned his face to Aragorn and gave him a small wink. The dwarf, immediately jumping at the chance to share his stories and plans, started telling his tales proudly.

Aragorn laughed silently as he watched the scene before him.

"What seems to be so funny Estel?"

"Mithrandir knows of the love we carry for one another" Aragorn responded quietly in elvish.

"Meleth nîn, did you tell him?"

"It is the white wizard, I need not speak the words for him to guess my feelings."

Legolas sighed knowingly "Of course, I should have known. Does he... does he feel ill towards it?"

"The wizard just led our friend Gimli away so we could have some time beside each other. He has let me know he does not judge our love, pure love is between one soul and another, no matter what body holds them."

"As wise as he is old" Legolas smiled.

Before night fell the dinner had been made and to Sam's delight everyone could barely contain their praises. Even Gimli's words spoke kindly towards the meat seasoned and garnished with various ingredients he had so highly objected against before. They all turned to their bedrolls, save for Gandalf, who had agreed to take first watch.

Merry and Pippin had huddled together on the east end of the fire, Sam and Frodo not far from them. Gimli was laying fast asleep north of the fire, snoring loudly and Aragorn had settled close to Legolas on the east end.

Despite in their camp so close to their companions, Aragorn and Legolas were able to share some intimate moments together. They still did not know how to break their relationship to the world and just the fact that Gandalf was aware of it, was enough for now.

"You think the others would look down upon us?" Legolas whispered.

"They care for us greatly, I do not think they would." Aragorn answered, caressing Legolas' hand with his thumb.

"Perhaps, they are our dear friends. I wonder how everyone else would react, Lord Elrond, the twins, my father..." Legolas cringed at the thought. His father was a kind but hard man, quick to cast judgment no matter what the consequences. "And the people of your kingdom, the men of Gondor are not used to this. Perhaps we... I..."

Aragorn shushed the elf, "Shhhh, don't think of that now. We have other worries that demand our intention for the time being. We will find a way Legolas, I promise you, we will find a way. Now that I have found you, I will not stray from your side ever again."

"Nor I from your side meleth nîn."

Warm and comfortable under his blankets, with a belly full of delicious food, sleep soon called for Aragorn. The day had tired him out as well and he knew the importance of a good night's sleep for a man's body. By morning he would be fresh and ready to continue on their journey. No matter how he fought to keep gazing upon the elf he loved, his eyelids closed and he wandered off to the land of dreams.

Legolas watched his lover fall asleep and smiled, he knew how the man longed for some rest. He had taken many watches along with Legolas over the course of the week, just so they could have some quiet moments together and it had taken a toll on him. But now it had taken a toll upon Legolas himself as well, the prince had to admit. He recalled the events of the day as he turned to his back, gazing to the stars above him.

'Araw has abandoned me today' he thought sadly. 'When I missed that deer's heart it had pierced my own. The poor animal had to suffer before Estel put her out of her misery. My arrow had missed, it had never done that before! Perhaps these ailments belong to my current predicament...' The elf sighed before turning back on his side, facing the sleeping man beside him. 'Day by day I feel the darkness blurring my senses, assaulting me from within. It is frustrating, but I am glad Estel does not know of it yet. It would break his heart and I could not endure being the cause of that. Besides, he would fuss over me as if I were a little child and it would only slow us down.' He focused on Aragorn's breathing, hoping it would settle his troubling thoughts. 'I love him though, I have never loved anyone like I love him. Everything will be alright, nothing will keep us apart...' Legolas had underestimated how weary his body had been and before he knew it sleep had carried him off as well. Unfortunately it had not been the sleep Aragorn had wished for the again Legolas found himself within the dream world that before had hosted his nightmares.

_Dark trees loomed over the elf, shutting out whatever light would dare to penetrate them. The thick fog was ever present and swirled around Legolas. Wandering through the darkness, Legolas still searched for whatever glimmer of light he could find, whatever remnant there might be of his inner light._

_"Legolas..." the dark one's voice echoed once again through the forest as if it belonged there._

_"Legolas... you will not last long, you will not reach me in time... I will slow you down, you Will suffer!" the voice threatened and then broke into patronizing laughter._

_"Return it to me! It is mine, you have no right to take it from me! Face me like a real man without these tricks!"_

_"Haha, like a real man Legolas? I know how to play my game well and grant myself the advantage. I have no desire to face you like a 'real man'" the voice mocked, clearly not grieved by the insult._

_"Return my light to me!" _

_Legolas kept yelling, but it only amused the dark one more, fuelling it's laughter. The laughter slowly died down and Legolas found himself to be alone once more, alone in the darkness. Defeated the elf cast his eyes down and made another startling discovery, his skin no longer glowed._

_'Seems only appropriate' Legolas thought mockingly 'what elf would glow without his inner light...'_

_"Can't anybody help?" Legolas called, his voice broken by emotion. No answer came and he could no longer bear it, the elf fell to his knees and wept. He was lonely, sad, tired and angry all at once, but mostly he felt helpless. Helpless to what was happening to him, he had never felt this way before, not even at the points where he had been most injured. Cold crept through him, making him shiver violently as tears drew their paths across his face before falling to the ground. His whole body was slave to the darkness that drained his health, unchained, but unable to defend himself against it. _

During the night Pippin and Merry had relieved Gandalf of his watch, who had now taken their place by the fire, combining their bedrolls into one and covering himself with his own blanket.

They sat on the fallen log besides the camp, huddled close together comfortably wrapped in their blankets. They had gathered some of the Old Toby leaves from their backpacks and were now smoking their pipes while keeping a keen eye on their surroundings.

"I'm going to brew some more tea" Pippin told Merry as he rose to his feet. Merry nodded quietly as his friend walked over to the campfire, careful not to wake the man and elf laying between them and the fire.

He had quickly filled Sam's kettle with some of their water and hung it over the fire when his eyes fell upon Legolas. The elf was shivering visibly on the ground and Pippin did not hesitate to cover the elf up with his own blanket as well. As he squatted down he noticed something unusual about the elf. A question clearly written on Pippin's face he hurried back to Merry.

"Merry?" He whispered after tapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Hmmm, what is it Pip?"

"Elves, they don't normally sleep with their eyes closed, do they? They sleep kind of creepy like with their eyes open, like Gandalf does?"

"Yes Pippin. I noticed earlier when getting our pipes that Legolas' eyes were closed. I know he hardly slept since we left Rivendell, taking far too many and too long watches. I reckon he is incredibly weary." Merry explained. "Or perhaps he learned to sleep with his eyes closed so you wouldn't find him creepy looking" he added jokingly before turning away again from Pippin,

"But Merry?"

"Yes Pip..." Merry added, now slightly annoyed.

"They don't usually weep in their sleep though, right?"

"Weep? What do you mean Pippin?"

Pippin led Merry over to where Legolas lay and pointed out a small crystal clear tear on Legolas' cheek, slowly making its way down to the ground.

"Must be a really sad dream" Merry said, a sad tone ringing clearly in his voice. It was a incredibly sad sight to see a tear on the elven prince's face and it felt like the sadness held within it was affecting the air around them, relaying it's emotions to the bystanders. Pippin merely nodded and a silence formed between the two as they gazed upon the elf at their feet.

Suddenly Legolas' eyes shot open and with incredible speed the elf sat up, so startled were the two hobbits that they fell backwards with a yelp.

"Dagri'nul" Legolas said as he leapt to his feet, helping the two hobbits back to their feet.

"Dagri'nul? Here? Now?" Pippin whimpered.

"Where exactly is _here_?" Merry asked.

"A few miles away still I believe, enclosing fast! Quickly, awaken the others"

"Dagri'nul?" Legolas heard from below him. He looked down and saw all the commotion had roused Aragorn. Legolas extended his hand and brought the ranger to his feet "They are inbound, I fear they may be upon us shortly" Legolas spoke. He gave Aragorn a quick smile, grateful to know his love was by his side. The moment between them only lasted seconds, for soon his features hardened to be the warrior of Mirkwood he once was as he readied his bow.

Aragorn unsheathed Anduril and soon the others were besides them as well, ready for battle. "From where?" Gimli asked as he took a battle stance next to the two.

"South"

Frodo and Sam, the least experienced fighters held their ground close to Gandalf, ready to take on whatever evil would pass through the wall of the man, elf and dwarf. Merry and Pippin positioned slightly before them, the two hobbits had seen war before, in the service of Rohan and Gondor they had both proved their honor before. Afraid, but brave, they stood their ground.

Arrow notched and his eye glancing over its surface Legolas was the first to see their enemies emerge from the darkness. "Incoming" he spoke loudly as he released his first arrow. It flew and hit his mark, in the chest of one of the first Dagri'nul, but it did not slow it down. Quickly Legolas had another one notched and like the other it hit it's mark close to the other. Two feathered arrows sticking from its black body the Dagri'nul kept advancing, not showing any signs of slowing down.

A little distraught Legolas reached for another arrow, this was going to be a hard battle indeed. Aragorn had followed suit and launched a number of arrows into the same body, it wasn't after 5 well aimed arrows that the first fell to the ground.

As they came closer, the fellowship soon noticed the group of attackers consisted of a little under two dozen orcs. Legolas was shooting arrows upon the orcs at lightning speed, trying his utmost best to fell as many as he possibly could before they would fall upon the group. He had but managed to shoot another 4 arrows in another orc when the first crashed upon Aragorn and Gimli beside him.

Gandalf was mumbling to himself behind them "Aiglos beria-ammen_"_, words of magic whispered into the crystal of his staff that now shone brightly in his hand. He slammed the staff into the ground and a low thundering sound erupted from below it. The rumbling split the earth below their feet in a thick crack and Frodo and Sam quickly jumped aside, least it grew wider and swallowed them whole. But the thick crack did not grow wider, but instead travelled forward, rumbling loudly past the fighting threesome and beyond the first wave of Dagri'nul. They split apart on multiple occasions as they made their way to the second wave of orcs. Just under the second dozen orcs they halted their advance and erupted from the ground as thick brown roots, twisting their way up the legs of the orcs. The orcs roared and screeched in surprise, slashing the roots with claws and swords. Their efforts were to no avail, where broken roots fell, new ones shot up from the ground holding them in their place.

"That should hold them off while we deal with these"

The hobbits looked amazed at the white wizard, they had yet to see the magical powers of the wizard in combat like this and it was a pleasant surprise. The orcs before them were hard to fell and it seemed like all three warriors had their hands full fending them off.

The wounded orc had rushed straight for Legolas, wishing to exact his vengeance upon the elf for piercing him with four arrows. Legolas, knowing his arrows did not have the effect he wished, quickly switched to his elven daggers. The orc lunged at him with his claws and the prince only barely managed to dodge it. He wheeled around his daggers as the orc ran past him, and dug them deeply in his back. The orc roared loudly and with surprising strength hit Legolas in the head with a powerful elbow. The elf staggered back, his vision slightly blurry after the impact on his temple. While in a kneeling position the orc had decided the best assault was one with speed and weight, so he ran for the elf and dove onto the slender body, hoping to crush the elf beneath him. Legolas had anticipated the orc's move, who was no match for him in speed and before the orc landed Legolas jumped up in the air, avoiding the orc's heavy body completely. The orc fell flat on the ground and with less grace as the elf intended he landed on the body, delving his blades deep within the black orc beneath him. Before the elf could recover another Dagri'nul had marked Legolas as its target and the elf quickly drew his blades from the body beneath him to cross parry a large blade headed for his head.

'The tales did not exaggerate, these orc are indeed of great strength. They do not fall to a single arrow or a mere cut from a blade like the orcs and Uruk-hai we have faced before'

Gimli was swinging his axe around with all his might, cutting his assaulters deeply. He was often underestimated due to his height and it only worked to his advantage. The sturdy but strong dwarf had yet slain two and was currently defending himself against a third. This particular Dagri'nul was relentless in his assaults and much faster as Gimli was with his axe. It wielded a greatsword unlike most of the other Dagri'nul and towered over the dwarf with its humongous size. Roaring he raised his sword once more and with incredible force brought it back down upon the dwarf. Gimli quickly repositioned his axe and blocked the blow with the hilt of his axe. The weapons clashed together and a battle of strength ensued. The orc did not attempt to lift its weapon again to continue assaulting the dwarf who had now continually avoided and parried them, instead he pressed down on his enemy with all his strength and weight. Not only were the Dagri'nul strong, but their enormous size gave them quite an advantage over Gimli, who now feared to be crushed under the monster that leaned heavily over him.

"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!"

Unknown strength seeped from the dwarf as he forced the orc back. With a final push the orc staggered back in surprise and with incredible strength Gimli embedded his axe deeply into the orc's chest ending its life in one fell swoop. Beside him he saw Legolas bent deeply under another Dagri'nul, much as he had been and decided to come to his friends aid. With a loud roar his axe landed in the creature's back and Legolas kicked it off him.

"Thank you"

Gimli nodded back to him before a smirk grew on his face "Four"

On the other side Aragorn was whirling around Anduril as if it were an extension of his arm. The king had become so used to his sword it felt like he and it were fighting as one. Two orcs were assaulting him at once, one, after Aragorn had disarmed him, trying to claw away at his sword-arm and the other bashing the man with a shield. He kicked the sword and shield wielding orc to the ground with a powerful well placed kick and instantly turned his attention back to the other orc. Aragorn parried the long claws with his sword, but they would not fall from the hands of his assaulter and he continued attacking. Behind him the other orc was regaining his footing and roaring came charging at the man from behind his large shield, shortsword pointing sharply forward. Not paying attention to its surroundings the orc charged towards Aragorn, who had anticipated the attack and deftly sidestepped it. The orc's shield charged heavily into its companion, knocking it clear of its feet. Aragorn did not hesitate a moment and with a powerful overhead blow sliced off the hands from the still standing orc. Shield and sword clattered to the ground as the orc looked at his wounds bewildered. It did not have long to mourn the loss of its limbs for seconds later its head joined them on the ground. Before the disarmed orc could regain its footing, Aragorn had made his way to it. The Dagri'nul looked up from its kneeled position and looked upon the handsome sweaty face of the king of Gondor. "Forgot about me?" It screeched loudly and lifted its claws to knock the man down, but it was far too slow and joined its brother headless on the floor.

Aragorn quickly glanced over to Legolas, who was slicing away at the orcs so gracefully it was as if watching him perform a dance of death. Many of the Dagri'nul had fallen at the hands of the three talented warriors, but more were coming. The orcs up ahead that had been slowed by Gandalf were now releasing themselves from their entangling prisons and made their way towards the fellowship, blazing with fury.

The hobbits watched the fight before them with both fear and awe. The Dagri'nul seemed incredibly powerful, much more so as the Uruk-hai, orcs and goblins they had faced before. Even Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were struggling to cut them down. None the less their numbers dwindled at the hand of their friends, who performed their task with much honor.

Awestruck at the battle prowess of their friends Merry and Pippin had not noticed a single Dagri'nul had turned its attention beyond the fighters. It slipped between the elf and dwarf and headed for the hobbits, intending to pick out the weaker ones of the group. It was not until it was towering over Merry and Pippin had they noticed it creeping up on them from the side. Eyes wide and mouths releasing loud screams they watched a large blade fall down over them. Within the same second another blade rushed over their heads and parried the blow that was about to befall them. It had been Glamdring that came to their rescue and a white staff bashed the orc in the face. Staggered, but unrelenting it now made way for the white wizard that had denied him his kills. Gandalf aimed his staff at orc and mumbled his words of magic once again. An invisible force knocked the orc off its feet, falling hard and loud to the floor. The shock wore off Merry and Pippin who now jumped upon the fallen body and drove their swords into it multiple times. When Merry cut its throat the body finally stopped struggling and fell still.

At the same time another orc had made its way around the fighters at the front and had its eyes set on the white wizard. "Gandalf! Behind!" Frodo screamed to the wizard in panic who was just finished casting a spell. This time it was Sam who did the saving as he ran into the orc with all his weight. Unfortunately it was not enough for such a small hobbit to knock such a large orc off its feet and in one sweep the Dagri'nul had Sam flying through the air back to Frodo. It roared angry at the interference and set his eyes back on Gandalf. This time the wizard was ready for him and just as the orc was to land his blow, Gandalf pushed his staff against the body of the orc and a bright fireball erupted onto it. The orc, now burning, flew a few feet back and landed hard. It squealed loudly at the flames burning away it's black flesh before he also fell still.

The battle ensued and slowly but surely the numbers of the orcs dwindled down to but a few. The four hobbits and thrown themselves on another Dagri'nul that had been knocked down by Gandalf, cutting away the remnants of its life with their small swords. Aragorn was facing a Dagri'nul right beside Gimli who was fighting his own. Legolas had been parrying a Dagri'nul that dual wielded two shortswords, larger versions of the elven daggers he wielded, yet much less beautiful to behold. It was relentless and swift in its attacks for a large orc and Legolas' strength had faded in battle. The elf felt like his movement reacted in slow-motion to the commands in his mind and he could barely find the time between the orc's blows to return them in kind. The elf had been driven away from the field of battle and from the corner of his eye he saw that his companions still had their hands full as well. No one would come to his aid anytime soon. Thankfully the orc upon him seemed to be the last in line, 'All I have to do is muster enough strength to fell this last foul creature.'

Easier thought as done as the orc kept hacking away at Legolas. Both swords descended upon Legolas from an overhead blow and he just about managed to cross parry them with his own blades. Carrying the weight with only one dagger Legolas used his right hand to slash away at one of the orc's sword arms. He withdrew quickly, so Legolas missed his hands, but he caught the blade and with a loud clashing sound one of the orc's blades flew from his hand. Legolas whirled around to cut the orc deeply in its side, but it had anticipated the attack and parried the blows with its remaining sword. It lifted its left claw to Legolas and before the elf could get his body to dodge they came down upon his side, slashing him open from first rib to hip.

Legolas cried out in pain, but used the moment to kick against the orc hard, staggering it back. Adrenaline surging through him the pain soon ebbed away and the elf jumped back to its feet and released blow upon blow on the orc. The orc kept parrying Legolas who seemed to have the upper hand. He caught him momentarily off-guard when the elf turned his attention to the man who had yelped from the other side of the battlefield. It rammed the elf hard in the ribs where his cut was and with another loud scream Legolas was flung back. The Dagri'nul stood tall, a few meters away from the elf, knowing all it had to do was finish the job.

"The dark one's task will be fulfilled"

But before it could reach Legolas, one of the elven daggers came flying at him with incredible force, piercing it deeply. Surprised it watched the blood drip down from the wound where the dagger was now imbedded and continued forward to its prey. Another dagger pierced him and the orcs knees buckled beneath him, roaring in anger it tore out the blades in his body and cast them aside.

"If I go, I will take you with me elf"

It got back upon its feet and advanced the last few meters towards Legolas, who lay helplessly on the ground. The pain and weariness had returned to him and he could not find the strength to return to his feet just yet.

"You are mine"

It was then that an arrow embedded itself deeply in the forehead of the orc. Its eyes crossed and a quiet moan escaped the black lips as it fell to Legolas' feet. The elf let his head fall back onto the soil and his hands released the bow he was holding. A sigh escaped Legolas, 'That had been too close'. A few moments later he scrambled to his feet, cradling his side as he made his way back to his friends. His side was screaming with pain as he tried to hide the emotions from taking over his features.

Gimli pulled out his axe out of the last Dagri'nul that had fallen before them. The campsite was littered with black lifeless bodies and the grass and earth stained with black blood. Aragorn withdrew his sword from another Dagri'nul that he had pierced through.

"These creatures are hard to kill" he stated as he cleaned the blade with a piece of cloth and returned Anduril to its sheath. He turned his eyes over the fellowship and eyed them one by one.

"Anyone hurt?" His eyes rested with worry upon Legolas, who he noticed was cradling his side.

"I am fine, 't is but a scratch" Legolas lied.

Aragorn was about to protest until he remembered Gandalf's words. ' Be careful you do not act too overprotective toward him in your love Aragorn, he will not appreciate it. You know the prince, he has his pride'

He turned his eyes on the hobbits, who seemed ready to topple over, "Are you four alright? I saw you hold your ground bravely, you should be proud!"

The four nodded wearily, "You three fought twenty times better as we did, that was quite a sight" Sam spoke, who had not yet had the pleasure seeing their fighting skills.

"I think this was just a first wave, but they will not return tonight. I am certain" Legolas spoke.

The others sighed with relief. "What a way to wake up" Pippin muttered.

"Indeed" Frodo whispered.

"The night has not yet passed my friends. We had better get some sleep before we continue by morning. It would be good to regain our strength, we never know what tomorrow may bring. It would not be good to face another battle like this one when we are caught weary and off-guard" Gandalf spoke.

"A wonderful idea, but we better move our campsite away from all these corpses. I could not possibly close my eyes among them" Sam said. The blow the orc had given him earlier had sent him flying, but fortunately had not left him with any significant injuries.

"Not to mention the horrible stink, blegh" Pippin complained.

They all gathered their packs and the remains of the unpacked items and continued a way south. When they were finally far enough away that none of them could smell the dead corpses, they remade camp.

"I will keep watch" Frodo offered, "You have all done so much fighting on our behalf, you deserve rest more as I do."

"You fought bravely as well young Frodo, you should not diminish yourself. You are as much an asset to our fellowship as any of us." Legolas comforted the hobbit.

"That may be so, but I am not so drained from tonight's battle as you all are. I do not mind taking watch, with what I saw tonight I fear only nightmares will visit me anyway" Frodo half-heartedly joked brushing away whatever opposition there was.

With the camp freshly remade the fellowship returned to their bedrolls. Before settling down Gimli walked over to Legolas, who stood next to the campfire, gazing into the flames. He nudged the elf in the side with his elbow "Seven" he proclaimed proudly.

The smirk on his face quickly faded when he saw the elf's reaction to his nudge. Legolas had gasped deeply and his hands cradled his right side. Gimli thought to spot some dark smudges on the elf's tunic and opened his mouth to ask his elven friend about it when Legolas spoke.

"Five only, I fear you have beaten me quite badly master dwarf. And I have gained myself a scratch during the battle as well! Next time I'll give you better competition."

Legolas noticed the dwarf eyeing his side still, "Do not fret Gimli, it is really but a scratch and as all elves, I'll soon heal from it without a problem."

It seemed to appease the dwarf as he nodded and smiled "Get some sleep laddie".

Soon everyone but Frodo and Legolas were deep asleep once more. Sure that Frodo had his eyes cast elsewhere, Legolas lifted his blanket and tunic quickly to inspect the wound. It was a large black gash over his side. It was no longer bleeding, but it oozed a strange black liquid, as if it were orc blood. The gash itself was not as painful as the pain in his ribs and he inspected them one by one, only to find his third rib broken.

"Great" he muttered "As if the cold and weariness is not enough."

* * *

_A/N It came to my attention that I forgot to attend to some words I have used in my story. Namely the Valar that I named in previous chapter and this one so hereby (thanks to Tolkien Gateway for the information to begin with) Be weary the names I use are Sindarin, since that is Legolas' mother tongue, the names after are the names they were known by to the Eldar._

_- Îdh - or Estë is the healer of hurts and weariness._

_- Lúrin - or Irmo / Lórien is the master of dreams and desires._

_- Nienna - the Lady of mercy, grief and mourning who is said to weep for Arda (the world)._

_- Vairë - the weaver, who weaves the stories of the world._

_- Aran Einior - or Manwë Súlimo is the king of the Valar._

_- Gilthoniel Elbereth - or Varda Elentári, his wife, the queen of the Valar._

_- Araw - or Oromë - the huntsman of the Valar and the great rider._

_- Ellon - a male elf in adulthood_

_- Mellon nin - my friend_

_- Meleth nîn - my love_

_- Aiglos beria-ammen - Nature protect us_

_- __Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! - Axes of the dwarves! The dwarves are upon you!_

_Also, I am deleting the previous chapters of the story that contain the chapters I have yet to edit, now that I found out it will not remove old reviews. They would only give away the story I intend to expand upon and are no real addition since I am rewriting everything anyway._

_Hope you enjoyed my newest chapter, which just got increased from 1.286 words to 10.938 haha. I think my shortest chapter just got magically transformed to my longest :D Anyway, please __**review **__and let me know if the combat scenes were anything decent since it was my very first time describing them as such! I'll continue onwards with chap 6 in the mean time. Thanks a lot in advance :)_


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